Overview

• WestJet and Hawaiian Airlines disclosed cybersecurity incidents in June that the FBI now attributes to Scattered Spider’s latest campaign.
• Scattered Spider hackers employ advanced social engineering by impersonating employees or contractors to reset passwords and inject unauthorized devices for multi-factor authentication bypass.
• Mandiant and Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 have corroborated airline-sector breaches resembling Scattered Spider’s tactics and advised firms to bolster help-desk identity checks.
• The group, composed largely of teenagers from underground forums, has inflicted hundreds of millions in losses across telecoms, retail, insurance and gaming since 2022.
• The FBI is coordinating with industry and law enforcement partners to assist victims, share intelligence and encourage organizations to report suspicious activity promptly.