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UK sentences two hackers tied to $115M crypto ransom scheme
The UK National Crime Agency and City of London Police said the pair pleaded guilty after being linked to Scattered Spider, which US prosecutors say extorted crypto ransoms from at least 47 companies.
Cointelegraph reports that the UK sentenced two men tied to the Scattered Spider hacking group to five years and six months in prison. The men pleaded guilty during their first court appearance at Woolwich Crown Court on June 22, then received their sentence on Thursday, according to a National Crime Agency (NCA) press release.
UK authorities said the pair were associated with Scattered Spider, which investigators have connected to ransomware and cryptocurrency extortion attacks affecting companies in the UK and the US. The outlet also notes the group was linked to an alleged September 2024 intrusion into London’s public transport network, which authorities said led to about 29 million British pounds in losses and recovery costs.
According to Cointelegraph, US prosecutors linked Scattered Spider to collecting $115 million in crypto ransom payments from at least 47 US companies, as stated in a September DOJ release. The group was also accused of breaching Caesars Entertainment and stealing a customer database in September 2023, an incident that the outlet says resulted in a $15 million ransom payment in Bitcoin.
Cointelegraph adds that the DOJ said the FBI seized about $36 million worth of cryptocurrency from Scattered Spider-linked wallets in July 2024 and linked the group to at least 120 computer network intrusions. The outlet says prosecutors also described the attacks as disrupting US businesses and organizations, including critical infrastructure and the federal court system.
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