Customer Data May Be Stolen in Cyberattack against Caesars

Caesars Entertainment, the American casino giant, was the latest company to confirm it was a victim of a cyberattack, after its rival, MGM Resorts’ operations were disrupted by an unprecedented cybersecurity issue. Unlike MGM Resorts, Caesars confirmed that its operations, including land-based and online gambling activities, were not disrupted by the recent attack. Yet, the company said in a filing to the Federal Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that information, belonging to its loyalty rewards members, may have been exposed.

According to the SEC filing, the sensitive data that was acquired by an “unauthorized actor,” or a hacker group, contained driver’s license numbers and/or social security numbers. The leading betting and gaming company did not confirm the number of users affected by the cyberattack but rather said that it was significant.

“As a result of our investigation, on September 7, 2023, we determined that the unauthorized actor acquired a copy of, among other data, our loyalty program database, which includes driver’s license numbers and/or social security numbers for a significant number of members in the database,“

reads an SEC filing by Caesars Entertainment

It Remains Unclear If Caesars Paid Ransom

Earlier this week, a report released by Bloomberg alleged that in light of the cyberattack, Caesars paid millions to hackers. The company was allegedly extorted by the hackers who stole the data and threatened to release the sensitive information.

However, in its SEC filing, Caesars confirmed that it has taken action to ensure that the illegally obtained data is deleted but said that this cannot be guaranteed. Yet, the company did not disclose what those actions included, and it is not unexpected that nothing was mentioned about ransom money.

“We have taken steps to ensure that the stolen data is deleted by the unauthorized actor, although we cannot guarantee this result,“

reads an SEC filing by Caesars Entertainment

In light of the cyberattack and the allegedly stolen personal data, Caesars confirmed that it will continue to investigate the matter and determine if further sensitive information has been obtained. It said that currently there is no evidence suggesting that the client’s bank account data, passwords/PINs or payment card information were obtained. Caesars offered identity theft protection and credit monitoring services for all of its loyalty program members affected by the cyberattack.

The attack against Caesars’ rival, MGM Resorts, was identified to be by a hacker group known as Scattered Spider. This group, also known under the alias UNC3944, is believed to be involved in the cyberattack against Caesars too. According to a report released by The Associated Press, Brett Callow, a threat analyst for Emsisoft, a leading cybersecurity firm, Scattered Spider is a group under the Russia-based BlackCat or ALPHV and includes native English speakers.