04/14/24: Scattered Spider, Knife, Tasmanian Tiger

60 Minutes

SCATTERED SPIDER – A surprisingly young cohort of hackers paralyzed some of Las Vegas' biggest hotels and casinos last fall, demanding an exorbitant ransom. The FBI and cyber security researchers call them "Scattered Spider" and say they are predominantly made up of native English-speaking hackers from Western countries, including the United States. Correspondent Bill Whitaker reports on the attack that brought operations at the MGM Grand, Aria and Bellagio, among others, to a standstill, and how the hackers teamed up with the notorious Russian ransomware gang behind the recent hack on UnitedHealth Group. Graham Messick is the producer.

KNIFE – In his first television interview since he was attacked at a literary festival in Chautauqua, New York almost two years ago, author Salman Rushdie details his experience to correspondent Anderson Cooper. Rushdie, who was stabbed 15 times and lost his right eye, has come to terms with the attack by writing about it in his new book, KNIFE (Penguin, 2024.) He talks to Cooper about Iran's religious decree—or fatwa—that called for his death 35 years ago, his years in hiding, and how he reclaimed his life in the U.S. before he was nearly killed by an assailant wielding a knife. Michael Gavshon and Nadim Roberts are the producers.

TASMANIAN TIGER – 60 MINUTES correspondent Jon Wertheim reports from the Australian island of Tasmania on the mysterious thylacine or Tasmanian tiger – an apex predator not seen since last century, but renowned through local folklore. Though the tiger was declared extinct 40 years ago, Wertheim meets those looking for the creature in the bush and the lab, and one way or another, are certain of its enduring survival. Jacqueline Williams is the producer.

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