Federal charges filed against teen hacker allegedly part of Scattered Spider

BleepingComputer reports that teen hacker "Bouquet," who is suspected to be part of the Scattered Spider hacking collective, has been charged by the U.S. with several crimes linked to large-scale extortion schemes targeting companies worldwide.

Bouquet, who was detained by Finnish law enforcement earlier this month, now faces allegations including wire fraud, conspiracy, and computer intrusion. One complaint mentions the hacker took part in multiple cyberattacks to extort millions of dollars from various organizations. The scheme involved gaining access to accounts using compromised credentials. After gaining access, the group threatened companies to pay a ransom.

Scattered Spider is a cybercrime group of young hackers from the U.S. and the UK who target companies for financial gain. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the group tricks employees using phishing messages and repeated login requests. Recently, suspected leader Tyler Robert Buchanan admitted to fraud-related charges in federal court proceedings.