FBI Cybersecurity Tool Could Help Casino IndustryEfforts Target Blackcat Ransomware Group |
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North American casinos have faced several major hacking attempts this year including major gaming corporations like MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment.
In response, the FBI released a tool last week that could now help the industry in combating cyberattack efforts. The Justice Department announced a campaign against the Blackcat ransomware group (also known as ALPHV or Noberus). The group has targeted more than 1,000 computer networks around the world.
“Over the past 18 months, ALPHV/Blackcat has emerged as the second-most prolific ransomware-as-a-service variant in the world based on the hundreds of millions of dollars in ransoms paid by victims around the world,” the FBI noted.
“ Due to the global scale of these crimes, multiple foreign law enforcement agencies are conducting parallel investigations. The FBI developed a decryption tool that allowed FBI field offices across the country and law enforcement partners around the world to offer over 500 affected victims the capability to restore their systems.”
Saving Millions Of Dollars
The move comes as some in the tech world recently questioned federal officials’ efforts at finding those responsible for the MGM attacks. The Justice Department is now hoping the decryption tool offers some help.
The FBI reported working with dozens of victims in the U.S. and internationally to launch the new prevention tool. That effort has reportedly already saved multiple ransomware victims $68 million.
An unsealed search warrant in Florida also shows how the FBI has gained insight into the Blackcat ransomware group’s computer network. The investigation included seizing several websites run by the group.
“In disrupting the Blackcat ransomware group, the Justice Department has once again hacked the hackers,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco said. “With a decryption tool provided by the FBI to hundreds of ransomware victims worldwide, businesses and schools were able to reopen, and health care and emergency services were able to come back online. We will continue to prioritize disruptions and place victims at the center of our strategy to dismantle the ecosystem fueling cybercrime.”
Blackcat is believed to be behind the attack at MGM, which left many of the company’s computer networks inoperable for days. CEO Bill Hornbuckle noted that the entire ordeal cost the company about $100 million.
The unsealed warrant notes that Blackcat has also compromised systems at government facilities, emergency services, defense companies, manufacturing, healthcare facilities, and more. Global losses amount to hundreds of millions of dollars.
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