US charges suspected Scattered Spider hackers, disrupts PopeyeTools

The U.S. has been continuing its crackdown against malicious cyber actors, with separate Justice Department actions against suspected members of the Scattered Spider hacking collective — which was linked to attacks against Okta, Caesars Entertainment, and MGM Resorts — and the cybercrime marketplace PopeyeTools, according to The Register.

Alleged Scattered Spider hackers Ahmed Hossam Eldin Elbadawy, Noah Michael Urban, Evans Onyeaka Osiebo, Joel Martin Evans, and Tyler Robert Buchanan have been indicted for their involvement in a prolonged cryptocurrency theft operation that involved SMS phishing, corporate system compromise, and further phishing intrusions. Court documents revealed that Buchanan, who had been apprehended in June, owned a phishing kit-containing device, as well as led a Telegram channel where intrusions had been coordinated. Such a development comes as online criminal market PopeyeTools — which has amassed nearly $1.7 million in revenue from its a trove of personal data, cracked software, and banking information — was dismantled in coordination with the FBI. Alleged PopeyeTools admins Javed Mirza, Abdul Sami, and Abdul Ghaffar have also been charged.