On Friday, Las Vegas police announced the arrest of a teenage male in connection with the cyberattacks affecting numerous casinos in August and September 2023. Authorities allege the teen was part of the group responsible for the attacks.
The suspect was brought to Clark County Juvenile Detention Center on Sept. 17 and faces several charges.
- One count of conspiracy to commit extortion
- One count of unlawful acts regarding computers
- Three counts of obtaining and using personal identifying information of another person to harm or impersonate a person
According to Las Vegas police, the suspect was allegedly part of an organized cybercrime group known by several names, including “Scattered Spider,” “Octo Tempest,” “UNC3944,” and “0ktapus.”
Teen Could Be Charged As Adult
The Clark County District Attorney’s Office is now seeking to transfer the juvenile to the criminal division. If the move happens, the teen would be charged as an adult.
The cyberattack impacted MGM Resorts’ properties nationwide. However, Las Vegas has a high concentration of MGM-owned properties. MGM owns nearly half of the casinos on the Las Vegas Strip.
The cyberattack affected the company’s computer systems. It left websites, email accounts, and reservation systems offline. Additionally, it affected the functionality of slot machine operations. MGM’s online casino entities were not affected.
As a result, MGM turned back the clock. Officials launched a simplified website listing phone numbers guests can call to reserve hotel rooms. In some cases, hotel employees kept track of guests with pen-and-paper log books. Slot attendants paid slot winners out by hand.
The group also attacked Caesars Entertainment, but Caesars paid a $15 million ransom to avoid those problems.
On the other hand, MGM refused to pay the ransom. As a result, the negative effects cost the company $100 million.
After the extensive attack, the FBI’s Las Vegas Cyber Task Forced took over the case. The force also includes the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Cyber Investigative Group. There was no word to whether more arrests would be announced soon.
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