TYLER Buchanan, a 24-year-old from Scotland linked to the Scattered Spider group, pleaded guilty in the United States to hacking dozens of companies and stealing millions in cryptocurrency. The case, described in a DoJ press release, states that he admitted to conspiring to hack into computer systems via text message phishing and to stealing at least $8 million in virtual currency from victims across the United States.
He faced one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, with sentencing scheduled for 21 August, and a potential maximum sentence of 22 years in federal prison. Buchanan was arrested in Palma de Mallorca, after being tracked to Spain, with Spanish police seizing a laptop and a mobile phone during the operation conducted with the FBI.
The security-affairs article notes the group used phishing campaigns and SIM swap attacks to access corporate networks and wallets, and that he kept files linked to multiple victim companies at his home in Scotland. According to the DoJ press release, Spanish authorities arrested him after he entered Spain via Barcelona in late May 2024.