U.K. police announced on Thursday that the arrest of two young hackers has significantly disrupted the operations of an infamous hacking group known as Scattered Spider.

Owen Flowers, 18, and Thalha Jubair, 20, pleaded guilty to hacking Transport for London (TfL) in 2024. Both were sentenced to five years and six months in prison.

These teen hackers are a stark reminder that the most dangerous cybercriminals often aren't working for sophisticated agencies, but rather are motivated by money and peer recognition.

Groups like Scattered Spider and ShinyHunters frequently target individuals and employees over systems. Their attacks have caused significant damage, including breaches at companies like MGM, WestJet, and Okta.

The disruption of Scattered Spider's activities, according to Paul Foster from the U.K. National Crime Agency’s National Cyber Crime Unit, represents a major blow to this cybercrime threat.