{ "id": "241d3420-39b0-475f-99b5-b5aef4add7af", "created_at": "2026-04-10T03:21:03.237972Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T03:22:19.144856Z", "deleted_at": null, "sha1_hash": "24a70421b4cf9d6013bd84949c7571ba6f66070e", "title": "A Guide to Scattered Spider Data Breaches", "llm_title": "", "authors": "", "file_creation_date": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "file_modification_date": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "file_size": 46601, "plain_text": "A Guide to Scattered Spider Data Breaches\r\nBy brendon\r\nPublished: 2023-10-27 · Archived: 2026-04-10 02:29:58 UTC\r\nThe Vulnerability Scattered Spider Hackers Exploit\r\nUsually, Scattered Spider exploits CVE-2015-2291 with tools like STONESTOP and POORTRY.\r\nCVE-2015-2291 is an Intel Ethernet diagnostics driver for Windows (iqvw64.sys) vulnerability.\r\nIt allows local users to cause either a denial of service or execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges through a\r\ncrafted IOCTL call.\r\nA scattered Spider exploits this CVE-2015-2291 vulnerability to deploy a malicious kernel driver in the Intel\r\nEthernet diagnostics for Windows (iqvw64.sys).\r\nThe group has also exploited CVE-2021-35464.\r\nIt is a flaw in the ForgeRock AM server. The ForgeRock AM server versions before 7.0 have a Java deserialization\r\nvulnerability in the jato.pageSession parameter on multiple pages.\r\nThis vulnerability exploitation doesn’t require authentication. You can trigger the remote code execution by\r\nsending a single crafted request to the server.\r\nBut Why Does this Vulnerability Occur?\r\nThe vulnerability occurs because of the usage of Sun ONE Application Framework (JATO) found in Java 8 or\r\nearlier versions.\r\nThe group has exploited the CVE-2021-35464 vulnerability to run code and boost its privileges on the Apache\r\nTomcat user on an AWS instance. Scattered Spider used a compromised AWS token to request and assume\r\npermissions for an instance role.\r\nThe group has showcased an in-depth understanding of the Azure environment and leverages built-in tools for\r\ntheir attacks.\r\nScattered Spider and Its Web of Data Breaches\r\nScattered Spider has been active since May 2022 and targets Telecom and Business Process Operations (BPO)\r\norganizations across eight sectors, including\r\n1. Canada\r\n2. US\r\n3. UK\r\nhttps://acsense.com/blog/a-guide-to-scattered-spider-data-breaches/\r\nPage 1 of 4\n\n4. Australia\r\n5. Brazil\r\n6. France\r\n7. Switzerland\r\n8. Japan\r\nPer the cybersecurity research group’s CrowdStrike 2023, Global Threat Report, Scattered Spider is known for\r\nstealing sensitive data and leveraging trusted organizational infrastructure for further attacks on downstream\r\ncustomers.\r\nInitially, the Scattered Spider victims were from the Telecom and BPO sectors; however, in January 2023,\r\nScattered Spider changed their tactic and became involved in over half a dozen incidents from mid-2022.\r\nLarge outsourcing firms that served high-value cryptocurrency institutions and individuals were targeted during\r\nthis period.\r\nRecently, they moved on from their traditional target sectors and made news with their attacks on two high-profile\r\ncasinos, MGM Resorts and Ceasars in the US.\r\nWith the immense knowledge of European businesses, the group is highly focused on stealing large amounts of\r\nsensitive data for extortion.\r\nData Theft is the Primary Focus\r\nThe group is highly focused on stealing sensitive data from the victim’s legitimate account.\r\nPersonal Identification information theft is their primary focus as PII gives them undeterred access to the\r\norganization’s sensitive data, and they can steal the confidential data without creating a security alert.\r\nAs stated earlier, the group is focused on stealing the authentic credentials of employees and users to gain\r\nlegitimate access to the organization’s network. While the Scattered Spider group is financially motivated, data\r\ntheft is their primary focus. Reason:\r\nThe stolen data is used for further attacks on an organization; as it is legitimate data, it evades regular alerts.\r\nKey Preventive Measures\r\n1. Regularly Update their Software\r\nIt is imperative to keep your software updated all the time you get an update alert. The alerts carry the patches that\r\nhelp protect your software against any vulnerability.\r\n2. User Training and Guidance\r\nIt is essential for your organization to impart custom-made training and offer guidance to all users. It will avoid\r\nany human error on their part.\r\nhttps://acsense.com/blog/a-guide-to-scattered-spider-data-breaches/\r\nPage 2 of 4\n\n3. Antivirus and Antimalware\r\nInvest in good antivirus and antimalware to protect against any viruses or malware threats.\r\n4. Behavior Prevention on Endpoint\r\nThere should be security controls implemented at the Endpoint to identify and prevent the execution of any\r\nmalicious files.\r\n5. Application Isolation and Sandboxing\r\nAny corrupted application should be isolated and sandboxed to prevent the malware from spreading across the\r\nnetwork.\r\n6. IAM Resilience\r\nHaving robust Identity and Access Management (IAM) resilience capabilities such as automated backup and\r\nrecovery, continuous data verification, and Point-in-Time investigation and restoration is paramount.\r\nConclusion\r\nScattered Spider is an emerging threat to organizations with unpatched vulnerabilities and weak admin passwords.\r\nTo protect your organization from threats of Scattered Spider, it is recommended to scrutinize every legitimate\r\nlogin activity and to get multi-factor authentication approvals from assets, locations, and accounts that are\r\nunexpected.\r\nBy leveraging Acsense’s comprehensive IAM resilience platform, you can significantly fortify your IAM systems\r\nagainst the nefarious tactics employed by groups like Scattered Spider.\r\nSchedule a demo to learn how Acsense can help bullet-proof your cloud IAM and ensure rapid recovery.\r\nFAQs:\r\n1. What are the common signs and symptoms of a Scattered Spider data breach?\r\nThe Scattered Spider Group is an expert in evading detection. Here are some common indicators of ongoing data\r\nbreaches:\r\nSudden changes in files\r\nUser accounts are locked\r\nDevice speed goes down, and network performance is affected\r\nYour system behaves abnormally\r\nUnusual account activity\r\n2. How can I protect sensitive customer information from Scattered Spider attacks?\r\nhttps://acsense.com/blog/a-guide-to-scattered-spider-data-breaches/\r\nPage 3 of 4\n\nYou can protect your customers’ sensitive information through sandboxing.\r\nIt makes it difficult for intruders to advance their operations by exploiting undiscovered or unpatched\r\nvulnerabilities. Other types of virtualizations and application micro-segmentation may also mitigate the impact of\r\nsome kinds of exploitation.\r\n3. What are a Scattered Spider data breach’s potential legal and regulatory consequences?\r\nThe potential legal and regulatory consequences of a Scattered Spider data breach can lead to fines, penalties, and\r\neven lawsuits. It implies there will be additional expenditure over and above the cost of downtime and production,\r\nand not to forget the ransomware cost, should the group demand the same.\r\n4. What steps should I take immediately after discovering a Scattered Spider data breach?\r\nAfter a Scattered Spider data breach, the first step would be to isolate the infected device and the network to\r\nmitigate further damage. Mitigation steps should also involve limiting the installation of unapproved software.\r\n5. What type of data is typically targeted in Scattered Spider data breaches?\r\nScattered Spider hackers are known to steal sensitive and confidential data from their victims.\r\nThe stolen data or credentials are then used for follow-on attacks on environments outside the victims’ proximity.\r\nSource: https://acsense.com/blog/a-guide-to-scattered-spider-data-breaches/\r\nhttps://acsense.com/blog/a-guide-to-scattered-spider-data-breaches/\r\nPage 4 of 4", "extraction_quality": 1, "language": "EN", "sources": [ "Malpedia" ], "references": [ "https://acsense.com/blog/a-guide-to-scattered-spider-data-breaches/" ], "report_names": [ "a-guide-to-scattered-spider-data-breaches" ], "threat_actors": [], "ts_created_at": 1775791263, "ts_updated_at": 1775791339, "ts_creation_date": 0, "ts_modification_date": 0, "files": { "pdf": "https://archive.orkl.eu/24a70421b4cf9d6013bd84949c7571ba6f66070e.pdf", "text": "https://archive.orkl.eu/24a70421b4cf9d6013bd84949c7571ba6f66070e.txt", "img": "https://archive.orkl.eu/24a70421b4cf9d6013bd84949c7571ba6f66070e.jpg" } }