Risky Bulletin Between Two Nerds: The Keyser Soze of Scattered Spider
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Oct 13, 2025 Delve into the shadowy world of cybercrime, where insider recruitment is the new frontier. Discover how groups like Scattered Spider are enticing insiders with offers for network access. Explore whether Telegram can serve as a recruitment hub and if paying insiders signals enhanced security measures. Hear about the historical parallels of insider payoffs and why language skills are crucial for social engineering. Join the debate on the chaotic dynamics of different criminal organizations and whether Scattered Spider can scale up into a more disciplined enterprise.
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Scattered Spider's Tactical Shift
- Scattered Spider shifted from chaotic public stunts to soliciting insiders for network access, signaling tactical adaptation.
- The move may reflect opportunism rather than professionalisation, blending fun-driven behavior with targeted outreach.
Hacking As A Social Pastime
- Tom and Grugq compare Scattered Spider's operations to teenagers treating hacking like a social pastime rather than a serious business.
- Bloomberg's reporting on Noah Urban shows group calls where members laugh at mistakes, underscoring the social, performative nature.
Insider Fees Echo Old-School Crime
- Paying insiders mirrors historic criminal tactics where informants or corrupt staff took a cut to facilitate theft.
- Typical insider fees (around 5–10%) are analogous to classic payoffs and persist in cybercriminal economics.