Social Media Reveals Details of MGM Cyberattack
On the 11th of September, MGM released a statement claiming that reports of guests being disturbed by a cyberattack were significantly exaggerated.
"Our resorts, encompassing dining, entertainment, and gambling, are currently functional and continue to provide MGM's distinctive experiences," MGM tweeted.
The ransomware attack occurred on Sunday, the 10th of September, causing MGM's websites to crash and interrupting operations at all 12 of their Las Vegas properties.
Guests and those frequenting the MGM Grand, Bellagio, Aria, Cosmopolitan, Park MGM, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, Excalibur, New York-New York, NoMad, Delano, and Vdara painted a different picture than MGM's optimistic declaration.
Their social media updates from the ground indicated that all game machines, sports betting kiosks, ATMs, and loyalty cards were inoperable for at least three days. Furthermore, the digital room keys issued earlier were rendered inoperable, resulting in lengthy queues at the front desk.
Incremental Recovery
By Thursday, online users began to report positive signs that MGM's systems were starting to recover. However, various issues persisted, such as being unable to use food, beverages, play credits, and fraudulent credit card charges.
By Thursday night, @PatRalston51, a Twitter user, reported that Aria had restored operation for select games but only with cash, and floor games with the capacity to gather and share information were still inoperable.
Jacob Orth, a YouTuber and Vegas news source, shared information at 11 p.m. on Thursday at Park MGM, stating that most, but not all, slot machines were back online. Payouts, he noted, were still manual, with wait times ranging from 20 minutes to an hour.
In the hotels, Thursday witnessed manual check-ins and check-outs.
As of Friday morning, several of the previously mentioned issues were being rectified. Nonetheless, all property websites and apps remained inaccessible, and despite speculation, phones and TVs within MGM hotel rooms had not yet been operable.
"We continue to work tirelessly to resolve our cybersecurity issue while simultaneously addressing individual guest needs swiftly," MGM tweeted on Friday morning.
A minor positive for guests was that the parking gates at all properties were locked in the open position, allowing free garage access to anyone who desired it.
Hacker group ALPHV/BlackCat took responsibility for the cyberattack.
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