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When hackers got bored with the virtual world, they turned their gaze to reality...
Cyberattacks on two of Las Vegas' largest casinos in 2023 have brought a lot of attention to cybersecurity threats, but there is a darker and more troubling reality behind these high-profile events. Thus, connections were revealed between Western hackers cooperating with large groups and communities specializing in bullying and blackmailing teenagers, forcing them to violence against themselves and others. These cybercriminal groups are becoming increasingly dangerous, combining not only economic crimes, but also social violence with real consequences.
In September 2023, the ALPHV criminal gang, also known as Black Cat, claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on the MGM Resorts casino networks in Las Vegas. As a result of the incident, MGM casinos were paralyzed, which caused a resonance around the world. The reason for the attack, according to various sources, was the use of social engineering: hackers were able to convince one of the MGM technical support employees to reset the password from a privileged account, which gave them access to the company's internal systems. This method, based on manipulation and trust, has already become one of the most common in cyberattacks on large corporations.
The threat actors behind the attack have gained notoriety as the Scattered Spider group, which includes hackers from various cybercriminal communities. This decentralized group operates through public platforms such as Telegram and Discord, bringing together hackers from different countries. Communication between them takes place on specialized channels, where they discuss hacking methods, share successes, and compete in carrying out the largest attacks.
In these communities, known as "The Com", cybercriminals not only discuss ways to hack attacks, but also actively engage in extortion, blackmail, and even physical violence. Their activities have long gone beyond cyberattacks: members of these groups actively use their skills to put pressure on victims, including extorting money, blackmail with threats of physical violence and organizing attacks in real life.
One of the most worrying trends has been the involvement of some cybercriminals in extremist communities such as 764, whose members specialize in bullying teenagers. These groups recruit young people through popular platforms such as Discord, Twitch, Minecraft and others and then force them to self-mutilate, act violently or create compromising material. All this is recorded on video and distributed through closed channels.
One of the most brutal tactics employed by these groups is known as "sextortion" – extorting compromising videos or images from victims, which are then used for further blackmail. However, unlike the classic "sextort", the goal of these criminals is not financial gain, but the complete subjugation of the victim and coercion to perform even more radical and violent actions. In some cases, victims of these criminal schemes have attempted suicide, mutilated themselves, or even harmed others.
Law enforcement agencies of various countries, including the FBI and the British police, have long begun to investigate the activities of these groups. So, in 2024, a 17-year-old hacker from the UK who took part in the attack on MGM Resorts was arrested. He is known under the pseudonym @Holy and was active not only in hacker communities, but also in extremist groups engaged in psychological violence against teenagers.
Particularly dangerous among these communities are the 764 and CVLT groups, which are active in extortion, blackmail, and "swatting" — false calls to the police reporting crimes in order to incite armed police forces against the victim. These groups operate not only online, but also take their criminal activity into the real world, physically attacking rivals or victims.
Law enforcement agencies face difficulties in combating such groups. Cybercriminals use advanced encryption and anonymity techniques, which makes it difficult to identify and apprehend them. However, arrests of key members of such groups have already begun in some countries. For example, in Turkey, John Erin Binns, a member of a UNC5537 group involved in a number of major hacks and extortion, was recently detained. He is now in custody awaiting extradition.
Cybersecurity experts warn that many of these groups have close ties to extremist ideologies, including radical political movements. In some cases, their activities can be qualified as terrorism, which opens up new legal instruments to combat them. However, this also complicates the process of confirming the fact of a crime, since such accusations require a thorough and lengthy preparation of the evidence base.
The task of law enforcement agencies is not only to arrest key members of cybercriminal groups, but also to prevent the further involvement of young people in such criminal networks. To this end, work is underway to inform the public and parent communities about the potential threats posed by online platforms that are popular among teenagers.
The cyberattack on the MGM casino and the activities of the Scattered Spider group are just the tip of the iceberg in the world of cybercrime, where the boundaries between virtual and real danger have blurred over time.
Source
Cyberattacks on two of Las Vegas' largest casinos in 2023 have brought a lot of attention to cybersecurity threats, but there is a darker and more troubling reality behind these high-profile events. Thus, connections were revealed between Western hackers cooperating with large groups and communities specializing in bullying and blackmailing teenagers, forcing them to violence against themselves and others. These cybercriminal groups are becoming increasingly dangerous, combining not only economic crimes, but also social violence with real consequences.
In September 2023, the ALPHV criminal gang, also known as Black Cat, claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on the MGM Resorts casino networks in Las Vegas. As a result of the incident, MGM casinos were paralyzed, which caused a resonance around the world. The reason for the attack, according to various sources, was the use of social engineering: hackers were able to convince one of the MGM technical support employees to reset the password from a privileged account, which gave them access to the company's internal systems. This method, based on manipulation and trust, has already become one of the most common in cyberattacks on large corporations.
The threat actors behind the attack have gained notoriety as the Scattered Spider group, which includes hackers from various cybercriminal communities. This decentralized group operates through public platforms such as Telegram and Discord, bringing together hackers from different countries. Communication between them takes place on specialized channels, where they discuss hacking methods, share successes, and compete in carrying out the largest attacks.
In these communities, known as "The Com", cybercriminals not only discuss ways to hack attacks, but also actively engage in extortion, blackmail, and even physical violence. Their activities have long gone beyond cyberattacks: members of these groups actively use their skills to put pressure on victims, including extorting money, blackmail with threats of physical violence and organizing attacks in real life.
One of the most worrying trends has been the involvement of some cybercriminals in extremist communities such as 764, whose members specialize in bullying teenagers. These groups recruit young people through popular platforms such as Discord, Twitch, Minecraft and others and then force them to self-mutilate, act violently or create compromising material. All this is recorded on video and distributed through closed channels.
One of the most brutal tactics employed by these groups is known as "sextortion" – extorting compromising videos or images from victims, which are then used for further blackmail. However, unlike the classic "sextort", the goal of these criminals is not financial gain, but the complete subjugation of the victim and coercion to perform even more radical and violent actions. In some cases, victims of these criminal schemes have attempted suicide, mutilated themselves, or even harmed others.
Law enforcement agencies of various countries, including the FBI and the British police, have long begun to investigate the activities of these groups. So, in 2024, a 17-year-old hacker from the UK who took part in the attack on MGM Resorts was arrested. He is known under the pseudonym @Holy and was active not only in hacker communities, but also in extremist groups engaged in psychological violence against teenagers.
Particularly dangerous among these communities are the 764 and CVLT groups, which are active in extortion, blackmail, and "swatting" — false calls to the police reporting crimes in order to incite armed police forces against the victim. These groups operate not only online, but also take their criminal activity into the real world, physically attacking rivals or victims.
Law enforcement agencies face difficulties in combating such groups. Cybercriminals use advanced encryption and anonymity techniques, which makes it difficult to identify and apprehend them. However, arrests of key members of such groups have already begun in some countries. For example, in Turkey, John Erin Binns, a member of a UNC5537 group involved in a number of major hacks and extortion, was recently detained. He is now in custody awaiting extradition.
Cybersecurity experts warn that many of these groups have close ties to extremist ideologies, including radical political movements. In some cases, their activities can be qualified as terrorism, which opens up new legal instruments to combat them. However, this also complicates the process of confirming the fact of a crime, since such accusations require a thorough and lengthy preparation of the evidence base.
The task of law enforcement agencies is not only to arrest key members of cybercriminal groups, but also to prevent the further involvement of young people in such criminal networks. To this end, work is underway to inform the public and parent communities about the potential threats posed by online platforms that are popular among teenagers.
The cyberattack on the MGM casino and the activities of the Scattered Spider group are just the tip of the iceberg in the world of cybercrime, where the boundaries between virtual and real danger have blurred over time.
Source
