MGM Resorts properties appear to be fully operational once again, a day after the company experienced a significant disruption because of an alleged cyberattack. The company did not disclose specifics as to what exactly happened, calling it simply a “cybersecurity issue.”
In a statement published to social media on Monday, MGM that once the problem was detected, it “quickly began an investigation with assistance from leading cybersecurity experts” and notified law enforcement. The company shut down some of its systems, likely to prevent any further damage that may have been caused by the hackers.
Reports from patrons of MGM’s properties, particularly in Las Vegas, were that gaming machines were down, the website wasn’t working properly, ATMs were out of order, and electronic locks on hotel doors were non-functional. The company advised that guests could check in and out at the front desk and could get a physical key (remember those?) to gain access to their rooms.
One TikTok user posted a video of the nearly empty gaming floor at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, as none of the machines worked. She added that even though she got a physical key for her room, the hotel double-booked, so she ended up walking in on someone.
Late Monday night, MGM said its “resorts, including dining, entertainment and gaming are currently operational,” so it looks like the problem has been solved. [EDIT: The problem has NOT been solved, it’s just that SOME resort functionality is ok. Many systems are still down, causing significant hassles for guests.]
This isn’t the first time MGM Resorts has suffered a cyberattack. He latest was the summer of 2019 when its cloud server was hacked and the culprits got a hold of customers’ personal information, including driver’s license and passport information. The company acknowledged the situation publicly in February 2020. Though MGM did not say exactly how many people were affected because of possible duplicate records, ZDNet reported at the time that 10.6 million records were compromised.
Gambling companies are among the top targets for hackers, not necessarily for the information that can be acquired, but for the damage an attack can do to the company. Casinos are very much reliant on their reputation, as it is easy enough for customers to take their entertainment dollars elsewhere. The companies also tend to have plenty of money, so hackers believe they won’t have a problem paying a ransom to get their systems back under their control.
