Five Arrested in U.S. for Alleged Role in Sophisticated Tech Hacking Group
Five men have been charged in the U.S. for their alleged role in a hacking group, Scattered Spider and Oktapus, which targeted major tech companies between 2021 and 2023. The group, known for its sophisticated phishing tactics, caused significant disruption and financial loss.
The group specialized in SMS-based phishing attacks, tricking employees into entering credentials and one-time passcodes at fake websites. The stolen credentials were forwarded in real-time via a Telegram bot to the attackers. The phishing websites were often taken offline within hours to avoid detection.
Joel Martin Evans, a 25-year-old from Jacksonville, North Carolina, was identified as 'Joeleoli', the developer behind the Telegram bot. Evans, along with Ahmed Hossam Eldin Elbadawy, 23, of College Station, Texas, and Evans Onyeaka Osiebo, 20, of Dallas, were charged for their alleged involvement in the conspiracy. In August 2022, security firms accessed the server receiving data from the bot, leaking Evans' Telegram ID and handle.
Noah Michael Urban, from Palm Coast, Florida, was also arrested in connection with multiple SIM-swapping attacks. Tyler Buchanan, a 22-year-old from Dundee, Scotland, was arrested in Spain for allegedly possessing Bitcoins worth $27 million, believed to be proceeds from the hacking activities. The targeted companies include LastPass, MailChimp, Okta, T-Mobile, and Twilio.
The alleged hacking group, Scattered Spider and Oktapus, has caused substantial damage to numerous tech companies. The arrests of Evans, Elbadawy, Osiebo, Urban, and Buchanan mark a significant step in dismantling the group's operations. The investigation is ongoing, and further charges may follow.
Read also:
- Web3 gaming platform, Pixelverse, debuts on Base and Farcaster networks
- Amazon customer duped over Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti purchase: shipped item replaced with suspicious white powder; PC hardware fan deceived, discovers salt instead of GPU core days after receiving defective RTX 5090.
- Infiltration of Estonian airspace by Russian military aircraft
- Cyber aggression intensifies by China-backed TA415 group, targeting Taiwan's semiconductor production and supply networks
