MGM Resorts International reached out to Boyd Gaming to offer its help after the latter suffered a cyber attack. MGM knows all about the impacts of such a breach, as its Las Vegas properties and internal systems were impacted for weeks in September 2023 after suffering a similar attack.
According to an insider source from Vital Vegas, the group responsible for the Boyd Gaming attack, Scattered Spider, also carried out the MGM and Caesars Entertainment attacks in 2023:
MGM refused to pay a ransom at the time, costing the firm an estimated $100m. The land-based and online casino operator’s Chief Technology Officer, John Brandon Newman, confirmed he reached out to Boyd after news broke of the attack. An SEC filing from Boyd revealed the operator was the victim of a breach. He was in the role of chief information security officer at the time of MGM’s breach, and had previous experience in the Air Force and Department of Defense.
criminals often recruit younger offenders to carry out their instructions
Newman also commented on the surrender last week of a 17-year-old who allegedly was part of the attack on MGM, saying that criminals often recruit younger offenders to carry out their instructions. The teenager is facing charges that include extortion, unlawful acts regarding computers, and obtaining and using personal identifying information of another person to harm or impersonate a person.
