July 19, 2024 at 05:59PM
UK police, along with the FBI, arrested a 17-year-old suspected member of the Scattered Spider crime gang for allegedly crippling MGM Resorts with ransomware. The arrest is part of an international probe into cyber hacking targeting major companies, costing MGM upwards of $100 million to clean up. The FBI will continue pursuing malicious actors.
From the meeting notes, it is clear that a suspected member of the Scattered Spider crime gang, responsible for a ransomware attack on MGM Resorts in Las Vegas, has been arrested by the West Midlands police in the UK. The arrest was made in collaboration with officials from Britain’s National Crime Agency and the FBI. The 17-year-old suspect from Walsall, England, was taken into custody on suspicion of blackmail and breaking the UK’s Computer Misuse Act, and is currently out on bail.
The larger international probe into the cyber hacking community targeting major companies, including MGM Resorts, has resulted in this arrest. The ransomware infection at MGM Resorts incurred costs upwards of $100 million to clean up. The Scattered Spider gang is believed to have successfully targeted multiple victims globally, according to West Midlands Detective Inspector Hinesh Mehta and Google-owned security specialists Mandiant.
The FBI has confirmed its commitment to pursuing malicious actors targeting American companies, and MGM Resorts has expressed gratitude for the support from law enforcement in apprehending the alleged criminals responsible for the cyber attack.