In a recent announcement, MGM Resorts International confirmed that its systems have been the subject of a cybersecurity attack. This incident has resulted in a significant portion of the casino’s IT network being taken offline. The exact details of the attack are still under investigation.
Brian Ahern, the executive director of communications for the casino giant, delivered the news on Monday via a Gmail account, given the company’s internal communication systems have been taken down by the cyberattack.
The company’s official statement indicated that MGM Resorts had identified a cybersecurity issue impacting a portion of its systems. They promptly initiated an investigation into the incident, drawing on the expertise of external cybersecurity specialists. The company also took immediate steps to safeguard their systems and data, which included shutting down specific systems.
The full nature and scale of the event remain unclear at this time, as does whether there’s a ransom demand tied to the attack. It’s also unknown whether MGM officials have been put in contact with those responsible.
MGM is Nevada’s preeminent employer and holds the monopoly on casinos along the Las Vegas Strip. However, the attack’s particulars remain unclear as the issue was only recently identified.
Public reports about the cyberattack began circulating on social media early in the day, with users providing updates about technical hiccups within the company’s operations. A considerable number of MGM Rewards clients even shared images of notifications indicating that their mobile apps had been taken offline.
The cyberattack has allegedly affected numerous MGM operations all across Las Vegas, evident by offline credit card machines, ATMs, and ticket issuing machines.
MGM’s website now informs visitors that its online reservation systems are currently unavailable, indicating that the cyber incident has affected the company’s Las Vegas locations at the very least. However, reports suggest the attack may have had a broader impact, causing disruptions at several of MGM’s regional casinos.
Despite all this, MGM’s China-based operations remained unaffected. MGM is one of only six casino operators with official permission to operate in Macau, China’s sole casino-friendly region. As of Monday afternoon, the cybersecurity incident in the US had not affected any of their establishments in Macau.
MGM Resorts last fell victim to a significant cybersecurity attack in 2019, when a Russia-based hacker group accessed and publicly shared the personal information of approximately 30 million guests on Telegram, an online messaging platform. However, notably, the previous attack didn’t involve the theft of sensitive financial or password information.
