Teen Hacker Bouquet Ransoms Chicago Corporations

Federal prosecutors in Chicago have charged 19-year-old Peter Stokes, known online as “Bouquet,” with helping the Scattered Spider hacking group extort companies for millions. (chicagotribune.com) (bleepingcomputer.com) The criminal complaint says Stokes is a dual U.S.-Estonian citizen who was arrested April 10 at the Helsinki airport while trying to board a flight to Tokyo. Authorities are seeking to extradite him to Chicago. (yahoo.com) (hoodline.com) The case accuses him of wire fraud, conspiracy, and computer intrusion tied to at least four intrusions. The Tribune reported the complaint was briefly public before being resealed. (chicagotribune.com) (yahoo.com) Prosecutors say Stokes joined Scattered Spider at 16 and helped infiltrate large corporations in the Chicago area and elsewhere. The complaint describes a teenager who moved through corporate systems and then collected ransom money with other members. (chicagotribune.com) (cybernews.com) The group’s playbook is less about writing exotic code than tricking people. Federal cyber agencies say Scattered Spider often targets information technology help desks, steals credentials, and bypasses multi-factor authentication with phishing, “push bombing,” and SIM-swap attacks. (cisa.gov) (ic3.gov) That method has already hit some of the biggest consumer brands in the country. Federal advisories tied Scattered Spider to campaigns against large companies, and the group became widely known after the 2023 attacks on MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment. (cisa.gov) (brown.com) The complaint also sketches a spending trail. The Tribune reported that “Bouquet” traveled to Dubai, Thailand, New York, and Europe, staying in five-star hotels and showing off cash and jewelry online. (chicagotribune.com) (yahoo.com) When Finnish authorities stopped him, the complaint said he had multiple electronic devices, including two two-terabyte hard drives. The U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago declined to comment to the Tribune after the filing was resealed. (yahoo.com) (chicagotribune.com) U.S. agencies are still updating their guidance on Scattered Spider, saying the group has shifted tools over time but kept the same core social-engineering tactics. Stokes now faces the prospect of extradition to the city where prosecutors filed the case. (cisa.gov) (hoodline.com)