United States: Cybercriminal teens in federal crosshairs

On September 26, 2023, US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco addressed the issue of young cybercriminals at a cybersecurity conference organized by the Washington Post. She spoke in response to the hacks suffered by the two main casino operators in Las Vegas, Caesars Entertainment and MGM, in the summer of 2023. The attacks were thought to be the work of Scattered Spider, a group of teenagers and young adults who use the Black Cat ransomware.

Monaco expressed concern over the increase in cases of (very) young cybercriminals. In particular, she pointed to the ease with which they obtained “limitless access to an online for-profit criminal ecosystem,” albeit having limited knowledge of computers. Federal and local authorities must therefore, according to her, “find ways to intercept individuals, particularly juveniles, and redirect them down another path.”

The attorney general also mentioned the US government’s change in cyber strategy after the attack against Colonial Pipeline, in May 2021. While not giving up on criminal prosecution, the US has focused more “on prevention, disruption, and putting victims at the center of [its] approach,” summarized Monaco.

She also broached the “mixed” aspect of the current cyber threat, which is made up of State actors and private cybercriminal groups. She pointed to their “opportunistic and convenient relationships,” in particular when “intelligence agencies use these criminal groups to deny the facts.”