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The hacker group Scattered Spider stole six terabytes of data from the systems of two major casino operators, MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment in Las Vegas.
According to Reuters, Caesars told regulators that on September 7, 2023, hackers obtained the data of a significant number of its loyalty program members, including driver's license numbers and Social Security numbers. Earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported that Caesars paid the hackers a ransom of $30 million, but the company did not confirm this fact in a conversation with Reuters.
Scattered Spider, also known as UNC3944, is one of the most aggressive hacker groups in the United States, according to Mandiant Intelligence (owned by Google), the agency notes. It is known that its representatives can easily contact information security services of various organizations by telephone, posing as their employee, who needs to send a password.
“They typically have most of the information they need before they even call helpline—that's the last step,” says Mark Bleicher, a security analyst who has conducted forensic investigations into similar hacks. According to Mandiant, over the past two years, the Scattered Spider group has been linked to more than a hundred intrusions into companies ranging from gaming and technology firms to retailers, telecommunications and insurance companies. According to him, the group's members apparently live in different Western countries.
MGM, one of the world's largest casino and hotel operators, was disrupted for four days after news of the hack broke. Thus, the Wall Street Journal reported that the hacker attack seemed to return the casino to the “analog era”: concierges had to manually enter the names of guests almost at their knees, check-in counters were littered with master keys because the electronic keys did not work, the slot machine displays went dark, and shocked guests were helped to cope with stress with sparkling wine and Irish coffee with cream.
The FBI told Reuters it was investigating the incidents at MGM and Caesars and declined to comment further.
According to Reuters, Caesars told regulators that on September 7, 2023, hackers obtained the data of a significant number of its loyalty program members, including driver's license numbers and Social Security numbers. Earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported that Caesars paid the hackers a ransom of $30 million, but the company did not confirm this fact in a conversation with Reuters.
Scattered Spider, also known as UNC3944, is one of the most aggressive hacker groups in the United States, according to Mandiant Intelligence (owned by Google), the agency notes. It is known that its representatives can easily contact information security services of various organizations by telephone, posing as their employee, who needs to send a password.
“They typically have most of the information they need before they even call helpline—that's the last step,” says Mark Bleicher, a security analyst who has conducted forensic investigations into similar hacks. According to Mandiant, over the past two years, the Scattered Spider group has been linked to more than a hundred intrusions into companies ranging from gaming and technology firms to retailers, telecommunications and insurance companies. According to him, the group's members apparently live in different Western countries.
MGM, one of the world's largest casino and hotel operators, was disrupted for four days after news of the hack broke. Thus, the Wall Street Journal reported that the hacker attack seemed to return the casino to the “analog era”: concierges had to manually enter the names of guests almost at their knees, check-in counters were littered with master keys because the electronic keys did not work, the slot machine displays went dark, and shocked guests were helped to cope with stress with sparkling wine and Irish coffee with cream.
The FBI told Reuters it was investigating the incidents at MGM and Caesars and declined to comment further.