Teen Scattered Spider Hacker Caught via Windows Global Device ID

Peter Stokes, a 19-year-old member of the hacking group Scattered Spider (also known as Octo Tempest and 0ktapus), was caught by the FBI thanks to Windows' Global Device ID (GDID) tracking mechanism. Despite using a VPN to hide his IP address, GDID assigned his device a unique persistent identifier that investigators used to trace him. Scattered Spider is notorious for sophisticated social engineering, SIM swapping and ransomware attacks.

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💻 Technology FBI arrests Scattered Spider hacker – Windows 11 telemetry data helped identify him benchmark.pl · 15d ago 💻 Technology Pay ransomware hackers and 37% of victims face a second demand — Proofpoint 2026 report TechRadar · 2d ago 💻 Technology XEntry Team ransomware gang prints ransom notes via office printers in Colombia and Mexico TechRadar · 3d ago