Homeland Security report details how teen hackers exploited security weaknesses in some of the world's biggest companies

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas testifies during a hearing before the House Committee on the Judiciary at Rayburn House Office Building on Jon Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

Members of the hacking group “may be less experienced and younger” than many of the established cybercriminal gangs and state-backed cyber-espionage teams, but “they are a serious threat to large organizations in the United States,” said Charles Carmakal, Mandiant Consulting’s chief technology officer. But a cybercriminal group known in the industry as Scattered Spider has been targeting casinos and hotels in recent weeks, according to Mandiant Consulting, a Google-owned cybersecurity firm. It’s unclear who exactly was responsible for the cyberattacks. Scattered Spider considered a ‘serious threat’ MGM Resorts did not respond to multiple requests for comment from CNN this week on how it was dealing with the apparent hack.Īn FBI spokesperson said the bureau was investigating the cybersecurity incident at MGM Resorts but declined further comment, citing an ongoing investigation. The company said on Monday, when news of the incident broke, that it had shut down certain computer systems to protect its data. “We continue to work diligently to resolve our cybersecurity issue while addressing individual guest needs promptly,” MGM Resorts said in a statement on Thursday morning. The company did not immediately respond to CNN’s questions as to what steps were taken and whether they included paying a ransom.įor its part, MGM Resorts has repeatedly referred to a “cybersecurity issue” in describing the disruption to some of its computer systems, but the incident has the hallmarks of a cyberattack. “We have taken steps to ensure that the stolen data is deleted by the unauthorized actor, although we cannot guarantee this result,” Caesars Entertainment said. The hackers broke into computer systems via “a social engineering attack” on an IT support contractor, according to the filing. Hackers take on ChatGPT with support from White HouseĬaesars Entertainment, which owns famous hotel-casinos such as Caesars Palace, confirmed on September 7 that the hackers had stolen a copy of the customer loyalty program database, in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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