19.09.2025
2 min
558
UK law enforcement agencies have arrested two members of the Scattered Spider hacking group, suspected of organizing a large-scale cyberattack on Transport for London (TfL) in August 2024. They are Talha Jubair (19 years old, East London) and Owen Flowers (18 years old, West Midlands).
According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), the attack on TfL led to serious disruptions in transport and millions of pounds in damage. Jubair is also accused of refusing to provide passwords and PIN codes from his own devices seized by police.
Flowers had previously appeared in the case of the attack on TfL in 2024, but was released on bail. The new investigation revealed that he may have also been involved in attacks on US healthcare companies, including SSM Health Care and Sutter Health.
In a separate case, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) has charged Jubair with conspiracy to commit computer fraud, money laundering and extortion. Investigators say he and his accomplices carried out at least 120 cyber intrusions, attacked 47 US companies and collected more than $115 million in ransom from victims. Scattered Spider is known for its use of social engineering: hackers disguised themselves as company employees to gain access to internal systems. They then stole data, encrypted networks and demanded a ransom to unlock them.
Back in 2024, the US Department of Justice reported the seizure of crypto wallets controlled by Jubair, with the seizure of digital assets worth about $36 million. He allegedly transferred some of these funds to other accounts, including a transaction of $8.4 million.
The arrests in the UK and the indictments in the US demonstrate that even young hackers can cause enormous damage to critical infrastructure. The cases of Jubair and Flowers highlight the global nature of the Scattered Spider group, which combines cyber-extortion, money laundering and transnational attacks.
