Scattered Spider Security Incident

Scattered Spider: Hacker Collective Ensnaring Industry-Specific Targets Tiago Henriques July 07, 2025 Share: A sophisticated threat actor group is systematically crawling from one industry to the next, wreaking havoc along the way. Scattered Spider, a hacker collective named for its multifaceted and highly coordinated attack tactics, made headlines earlier in 2025 with major attacks on retailers, including Marks & Spencer and Co-op supermarkets . In June, the group shifted its attention toward the insurance industry, with Google Threat Intelligence Group confirming multiple intrusions in the US which bear all the hallmarks of Scattered Spider activity. Now, the group has begun targeting airlines . Recent attacks on WestJet, Hawaiian Airlines, and Qantas all resemble Scattered Spider tactics, though the businesses have not publicly confirmed whos responsible. Scattered Spider is known to target large organizations and their IT help desks, employing a variety of tactics including social engineering, credential theft, double extortion, and supply chain extortion. Regardless of industry, businesses that rely on help desks, third-party vendors, or remote access systems are warned to be on high alert, as they may face many of the same vulnerabilities that Scattered Spider exploits. Threat actor playbook: How Scattered Spider breaches businesses Scattered Spider's sophisticated approach combines advanced social engineering with ransomware-as-a-service tools. Their success against well-resourced companies reinforces the fact that no business is too big, nor too small, to fall victim. Social engineering Social engineering is at the heart of Scattered Spiders operation. The group manipulates business employees into granting access, rather than forcing their way in through technical exploits alone. They often impersonate IT support staff over phone calls, emails, or text messages, sometimes even spoofing legitimate internal numbers and domains. Their goal is to convince...

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