Concerns about the “Scattered Spider” hacking group’s interest in the aviation industry are being raised by tech firms Google and Palo Alto Networks.
On Friday, Sam Rubin, an official at Palo Alto’s cybersecurity-focused Unit 42, wrote a message on LinkedIn, stating that his business has “observed Muddled Libra (also known as Scattered Spider) targeting the aviation industry.”
An executive from Alphabet-owned Google’s cybersecurity-focused Mandiant division, Charles Carmakal, made a similar comment, stating that his business was “aware of multiple incidents in the airline and transportation sector that resemble the operations of UNC3944 or Scattered Spider.”
Although neither CEO mentioned which particular businesses had been targeted, WestJet in Canada and Hawaiian Airlines, owned by Alaska Air Group, have both lately disclosed becoming the victims of unidentified cyberattacks.
Neither business has discussed the incursions in detail or offered an opinion on any possible connections between Scattered Spider and the occurrences.
Some of the most disruptive hacks to hit the US and Europe in recent memory have been attributed to the loose-knit but aggressive hacking gang, which is said to be made up at least in part of young people working in Western nations.
Hackers associated with the gang targeted gaming businesses Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts in 2023, causing slot machines to stop working and partially paralyzing casinos.
The group caused chaos at British retailers earlier this year. The United States is one of the most recent targets.
