MGM Resorts claims it has not paid the hackers who recently crippled its systems. The cyber attack happened last month and is certainly costing the company a lot of money.

A few weeks ago, hackers launched a successful attack on the systems of the casino and hotel group MGM Resorts. Despite the inconvenience and estimated costs caused by the cyberattack, the company claims not to have paid the hackers a dime.

Robbery on a virtual casino

The cyberattack was not limited to the various locations that MGM operates in Las Vegas, such as the legendary Bellagio. Commercial properties in other regions were also affected. The hack was made possible by stolen credentials, a method that is still a problem in Europe.

The hack caused many practical problems in both hotels and casinos, and operations were often almost completely paralyzed. Even MGM CEO Lina Kahn had trouble checking in.

Events

Not only did the attackers try to essentially take the group hostage, MGM said a lot of customer data was also stolen. It was not disclosed how many people were involved, but it was stated that the hackers mainly stole names, contact details, dates of birth and driver’s license numbers.

The American version of a national registration number and passport numbers were also stolen from certain customers. According to information provided by MGM to the authorities, these are customers with whom the company carried out transactions in the period before March 2019.

The stolen data did not include passwords or financial data of any kind. A small relief for MGM, which informed affected customers via email. The company also offers victims free credit monitoring and anti-identity theft services.

Not paid, but costs apply

Most of the group’s operational systems are now active again and the rest are expected to follow soon. In practice, the MGM cost about ten million dollars, for things like technology specialists and legal advice.

However, the actual costs are much higher. In total, the damage caused is estimated at one hundred million dollars.