The Wall Street Journal wrote on Thursday that MGM Resorts International failed to pay a ransom to ransomware attackers who invaded its systems last month, forcing the company to shut down the systems of several of its hotels and casinos.The hack resulted in the unavailability of numerous entertainment facilities and the inability to check in to guest rooms for many people, including Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Lina Kahn, who was attending a meeting about the merger of Kroger and Albertsons in Las Vegas, Nevada.
MGM said in a press release that the hackers stole customer data, including names, contact information, dates of birth, driver's license numbers, and "a small number" of customers' Social Security numbers, passport numbers, or both.
The company did not say how many people were affected by the hack, but according to its SEC filing, the data stolen was that of "customers who transacted with the company prior to March 2019."
On the bright side, MGM said in its press release that it "does not believe" the data thieves stole customer passwords, bank account numbers or card information. MGM said it is notifying customers via email and will provide free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services to affected customers.
MGM's domestic operations have returned to normal and "substantially all of the company's guest-facing systems have been restored," the SEC filing said, adding that remaining systems are expected to "restore within the next few days." The company also wrote that "technical consulting services, legal fees and other third-party consultant fees" related to the attack were less than $10 million, but total losses were expected to be about $100 million.
If you think you've been affected, MGM says you can take the following steps:
The company has set up a dedicated call center with a toll-free number of 800-621-9437. The service hours are from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday (in the central region) and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday (excluding major U.S. holidays). Please quote participation number B105892 when calling. The company has also set up a web page at www.mgmresorts.com/importantinformation to provide more information.
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