Ethical Hacking News
Scattered Spider, a notorious cybercrime group, has been linked to recent attacks targeting financial services despite claims of retirement. The group's ability to adapt and evolve in response to changing circumstances poses a significant threat to global cybersecurity.
Scattered Spider, a notorious cybercrime group, has been linked to recent attacks targeting financial services. The group's attack on a U.S. banking organization highlights its ability to adapt and evolve in response to changing circumstances. The attackers used social engineering tactics, Azure Active Directory Self-Service Password Management, and other methods to gain access and infiltrate the network. The incident is a reminder of the group's ongoing threat posture despite claims of retirement, which may be a strategic retreat or reassessment of its practices. Organizations must remain alert to potential risks and invest in robust security measures to mitigate the impact of such attacks.
Threat intelligence firm ReliaQuest has revealed that Scattered Spider, a notorious cybercrime group, has been linked to a recent round of attacks targeting financial services. The group, which had previously claimed to be going "dark," appears to have shifted its focus to the financial sector despite retirement claims.
The attack on an unnamed U.S. banking organization highlights the group's ability to adapt and evolve in response to changing circumstances. Scattered Spider gained initial access by socially engineering an executive's account and resetting their password via Azure Active Directory Self-Service Password Management. From there, they accessed sensitive IT and security documents, moved laterally through the Citrix environment and VPN, and compromised VMware ESXi infrastructure to dump credentials and further infiltrate the network.
To achieve privilege escalation, the attackers reset a Veeam service account password, assigned Azure Global Administrator permissions, and relocated virtual machines to evade detection. There are also signs that Scattered Spider attempted to exfiltrate data from Snowflake, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and other repositories.
The incident is a stark reminder of the group's ongoing threat posture despite claims of retirement. The recent activity undermines the group's efforts to distance themselves from law enforcement pressure. In reality, the group may be engaging in a strategic retreat, reassessing its practices and refining its tradecraft to evade ongoing efforts to put a lid on their activities.
Historically, when cybercriminal groups face heightened scrutiny or suffer internal disruption, they often "retire" in name only, opting instead to pause, regroup, and eventually re-emerge under a new identity. The possibility of Scattered Spider experiencing such an event cannot be ruled out, especially if there has been a breach of their operational infrastructure, exposure of communication channels, or the arrest of lower-tier affiliates.
The incident also underscores the importance of staying vigilant against threats, even in the face of seemingly innocuous announcements from groups like Scattered Spider. Organizations must remain alert to potential risks and continue to invest in robust security measures to mitigate the impact of such attacks.
As the threat landscape continues to evolve, it is essential for businesses and organizations to stay informed about emerging trends and tactics employed by cybercrime groups like Scattered Spider. By doing so, they can better position themselves to respond effectively to threats and minimize the risk of data breaches and financial losses.
In conclusion, the recent activity linked to Scattered Spider serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing threat posture of this notorious cybercrime group. Despite claims of retirement, the group appears to have shifted its focus to the financial sector, highlighting the importance of staying vigilant and adapting security measures in response to evolving threats.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/Scattered-Spiders-Financial-Sector-Assault-A-Threat-to-Global-Cybersecurity-ehn.shtml
https://thehackernews.com/2025/09/scattered-spider-resurfaces-with.html
Published: Wed Sep 17 18:09:03 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
