In September 2023, the cyberattack on MGM Resorts brought Las Vegas operations to a grinding halt. Slot machines blinked out. Hotel key cards stopped working. Guests stood in line for hours. It was chaos — and it was caused by a group of cybercriminals known as Scattered Spider.
Now, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal, this same group appears to be back in action.
Scattered Spider’s signature? Social engineering, deep technical knowledge, and a keen ability to manipulate both human and machine. They specialize in stealing credentials and escalating privileges inside major organizations — including some with hardened security operations.
Their reappearance sends a clear message:
Businesses cannot rely solely on detection and response strategies anymore.
What Happened in Vegas Didn’t Stay in Vegas
Scattered Spider is known for being patient, persistent, and skilled at using everyday tools against enterprise networks. In the MGM case, the group reportedly used LinkedIn to identify IT staff, then impersonated them to gain initial access — a textbook example of how attackers can bypass firewalls and EDRs without firing a single alert.
Once inside, they moved laterally, escalated their privileges, and disrupted operations at scale — all before traditional defenses even knew something was wrong.
These tactics aren't limited to casinos. Any business using standard endpoint security tools is vulnerable. Scattered Spider’s playbook relies on exploiting the response lag between initial compromise and detection — something EDR/XDR platforms simply can’t address fast enough.
The Case for Isolation and Containment
This is where AppGuard makes a crucial difference.
AppGuard doesn't play the same game as conventional cybersecurity tools. Instead of trying to detect threats in real time or after the fact, it prevents them from executing in the first place — even if the malware is brand new, fileless, or running with stolen credentials.
Here’s how:
-
Isolation: AppGuard keeps high-risk processes from interacting with critical parts of the system — containing threats before they spread.
-
Containment: Even if an attacker gets in, AppGuard blocks lateral movement and privilege escalation without requiring cloud lookups or signature updates.
-
No Alerts, Just Prevention: AppGuard eliminates the alert fatigue that plagues traditional solutions by stopping malicious behavior at the source — before damage is done.
For over a decade, AppGuard has protected some of the most targeted organizations in the world — including those in defense, healthcare, finance, and critical infrastructure. Now, that same level of protection is available for commercial businesses of all sizes.
The Threat Landscape Has Changed. Your Defense Strategy Should Too.
The return of Scattered Spider is just one example of a larger trend: attackers are evolving faster than the tools designed to detect them.
If your security plan still revolves around "Detect and Respond," it's time to ask the hard question:
What if the detection comes too late?
It’s time to shift from reaction to prevention — from EDR to AppGuard.
Don't wait until your business becomes the next headline.
Talk with us at CHIPS about how AppGuard can keep your endpoints secure — even against elite adversaries like Scattered Spider.
Let us show you how Isolation and Containment can stop cyberattacks before they start.
🛡️ AppGuard is the answer.
Like this article? Please share it with others!
Comments