CLEVELAND, Ohio — The FBI has issued a warning that a notorious cybercrime group is expanding its attacks to target the airline industry and its vendors.
The group, known as Scattered Spider, has been observed using sophisticated social engineering tactics to gain access to sensitive systems, the FBI said in an alert issued this week.
According to the agency, attackers frequently impersonate employees or contractors to trick IT help desks into granting access to internal networks. In many cases, they convince help desk staff to register unauthorized devices that can bypass multi-factor authentication protections.
Scattered Spider has previously targeted large corporations across multiple sectors, stealing data for extortion schemes and deploying ransomware. The FBI said its recent activity in the airline sector could put airlines, third-party IT providers, and other trusted partners at risk.
“These actors rely on social engineering techniques, often impersonating employees or contractors to deceive IT help desks into granting access,” the alert said.
The FBI is working with aviation companies and industry groups to mitigate these threats and assist affected organizations. Officials urged companies to train employees to recognize social engineering attempts and to follow strict protocols before granting IT access.
The agency said early reporting is critical to help prevent further breaches. Any organization that suspects it has been targeted is encouraged to contact its local FBI field office as soon as possible.
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