Two Scattered Spiders get 5.5 years each 🕷️ — UK locks up $115M ransom crew

Two men linked to the "Scattered Spider" hacking group were sentenced to five years and six months in prison by a UK court after pleading guilty at Woolwich Crown Court on June 22, according to the United Kingdom National Crime Agency and City of London Police. The pair were sentenced on Thursday, the NCA said in a press release. British authorities identified both men as part of a cybercrime network investigators have connected to high-profile ransomware and cryptocurrency extortion attacks against companies in the UK and the US.

The group has been linked to the September 2024 infiltration of London's public transport network, which British authorities tied to roughly 29 million British pounds ($38.9 million) in losses and recovery costs. US prosecutors, in a September press release from the Department of Justice, connected Scattered Spider to $115 million in crypto ransom payments collected from at least 47 US companies and to at least 120 computer network intrusions. The group was also accused of breaching Caesars Entertainment in September 2023 and stealing a large customer database, prompting a reported $15 million ransom paid in Bitcoin ($BTC).

In July 2024, the FBI seized about $36 million worth of cryptocurrency from wallets allegedly tied to the group, according to the DOJ release. Investigators said digital assets were traced to wallets controlled by members of the network. Matthew Galeotti, then acting assistant attorney general of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, said in the DOJ release that "these malicious attacks caused widespread disruption to US businesses and organizations, including critical infrastructure and the federal court system, highlighting the significant and growing threat posed by brazen cybercriminals."