Authorities announced the arrest of a teenager involved in a large-scale cyberattack on several Las Vegas casinos, resulting in financial losses totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department detailed the events from August to October 2023 in a news release on September 19.
The attacks were linked to a group known by several names, including “Scattered Spider,” “Octo Tempest,” “UNC3944,” and “Oktapus.” Their method of infiltrating establishments such as the MGM Grand, Cosmopolitan, Bellagio, Luxor, and Excalibur was surprisingly straightforward. According to SFGATE, the hackers exploited LinkedIn by posing as an MGM Grand employee during a call to the company’s IT Department, thereby obtaining a password reset. This breach allowed access to MGM’s systems within approximately 10 minutes.
Once inside, they disabled slot machines, disrupted hotel key card system functionality, blocked employee email access, and hindered reservation operations. MGM Resorts reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) claiming they had lost $100 million due to the incident. The problem, deemed a “cybersecurity issue,” caused many computer systems across MGM properties in the U.S. to shut down, as noted on September 11, 2023.
In a related incident, Caesars Entertainment also experienced a breach. In an SEC filing, Caesars disclosed that hackers accessed sensitive customer data, including driver’s licenses and social security numbers from their loyalty program. The exact financial repercussions of this breach remain unclear. Caesars admitted they could not ensure the data’s deletion but indicated attempts were made to have it removed, a statement many cybersecurity experts interpreted as a possible payout to the attackers.
The FBI’s Cyber Task Force, which includes the Las Vegas police’s Cyber Investigative Group, took over the investigation and identified the teen suspect. On September 17, the juvenile surrendered at the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center. Facing possible charges as an adult, his alleged crimes include extortion, identity theft, and unlawful computer activities, as reported by KTLA’s affiliate, 8News Now. Due to his age, the teen’s name has not been released.