Spanish Authorities Arrest Hacker with $27 Million in Bitcoin

Spanish police have apprehended a 22-year-old Briton suspected of hacking two major casino networks in the autumn of 2023, according to local media.

Investigators allege that the hacker, known by the pseudonym tylerb, is a key member of the Scattered Spider group and was behind the breach of corporate accounts, gaining illegal access to millions of dollars. Spanish police stated that at one point, the suspect controlled bitcoins worth $27 million.

?Detenido en #PalmadeMallorca un joven #ciberestafador responsable del ataque informático a 45 empresas de #EEUU

➡️Era el líder de un grupo organizado dedicado al robo de información de empresas y de #criptomonedas y llegó a hacerse con el control de 391 #bitcoins por valor de… pic.twitter.com/cHzlsC2JZ4

— Policía Nacional (@policia) June 14, 2024

Cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs, citing sources close to the investigation, reports that the detained individual’s real name is Tyler Buchanan.

According to Vx-underground, the cybercriminal specialized in SIM card swapping.

Besides the casino networks MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, Scattered Spider is also linked to attacks on LastPass, DoorDash, Mailchimp, and about 130 other well-known organizations over the past two years.

The arrest was made based on an FBI warrant as tylerb was boarding a flight from Palma de Mallorca to Italy.

During the arrest, police seized a laptop and a mobile phone.

Earlier, ForkLog reported that U.S. authorities had charged the alleged operators of the darknet marketplace Empire Market, which had a turnover of $430 million.