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MGM Resorts Properties Suffer Major Cybersecurity Attack, Many Casino Systems Affected

Suspected Ransomware Hack Left Many Slot Machines Inoperable

by Card Player News Team  |  Published: Sep 12, 2023

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MGM Resorts saw a major cybersecurity attack that began on Sunday and continues to disrupt operations, leaving many of the company’s computer systems offline including websites, email accounts, and reservation systems. The hack left systems down at casinos across the country.

“MGM Resorts recently identified a cybersecurity issue affecting some of the company’s systems,” the company announced. “Promptly after detecting the issue, we quickly began an investigation with assistance from leading external cybersecurity experts.

“We also notified law enforcement and took prompt action to protect our systems and data, including shutting down certain systems. Our investigation is ongoing, and we are working diligently to determine the nature and scope of the matter.”

Hack Shuts Down Systems

MGM continued working through the issues into Tuesday morning. In the meantime the company has been forced to go old school, with officials launching a simplified website listing phone numbers guests can call to make hotel reservations. In some cases, hotel employees are keeping track of guests with pen-and-paper log books.

The suspected ransomware attack affected other hotel operations as well. Some guests weren’t able to open hotel rooms with their electronic key cards, making MGM scramble to provide physical keys.

Casino restaurant online reservation systems were also affected, and many patrons were forced to pay with cash only. Eateries remained open, but guests were encouraged to call or use a concierge to make reservations. Some even reported that ATMs weren’t functioning.

But the biggest hit to the casino was the days of downtime for their slot machines and other electronic games. While all casinos continued to stay open and welcome bets, the majority of the company’s slot machines were reported to be inoperable.

Investigation Continues

As one of the largest casino-hotel companies, MGM Resorts International operates numerous casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, including Bellagio, The Cosmopolitan, Aria, Park MGM, Excalibur, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, New York-New York, and the MGM Grand. There are also MGM properties in Mississippi, New Jersey, Michigan, Maryland, Ohio, Massachusetts, and New York.

The security issues began affecting MGM systems beginning about 5 a.m. Sunday morning, according to employees. Some workers reported waiting for hours to see if computer systems would come back online.

“As the day progressed, more and more of the people that were working that day just lost access to everything,” an employee told KSNV-TV. “It was like, ‘Oh, phone lines are down. Okay, scheduling is down. Okay, now Workday is down. Now everything is down.’ And just as the day went on, [we] just got progressively less and less access. And then we couldn’t even use messaging systems anymore.”

As of Tuesday morning, the computer system issues appeared to continue. The company was working to overcome the ongoing problems.

“We continue to work diligently to resolve this issue,” MGM noted.

The exact nature of the security issue isn’t yet known. The FBI has begun working with MGM to investigate the cybersecurity breach and there appeared to be no change in the situation as of Tuesday morning.

One unsubstantiated rumor circulating on social media is that another major casino company was also targeted, but was left unaffected after paying the hackers a hefty ransom.

*Photo credit: MGM Resorts International

 
 
Tags: Casinos,   Casino,   Las Vegas,   MGM Resorts International,   MGM,   Aria,   Bellagio,   MGM Grand,   Cosmopolitan,   Cyberattack,   Ransomware
 
 
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