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UK police coordinated with the FBI to make the arrest, as part of an international investigation to disrupt a large ‘cyber hacking community’.
UK law enforcement has arrested a 17-year-old boy who is allegedly linked to a global crime group that has targeted various organisations with cyberattacks, including MGM Resorts last year.
The hotel chain giant was disrupted last year when a cyberattack brought down some of its systems. There were reports at the time of casino machines and digital hotel room keys not working. MGM Resorts later said the ransomware attack caused an estimated $100m hit to its operations.
Police from the UK’s West Midlands Police arrested a boy suspected to be linked to a “large scale cyber hacking community”. The UK police also recovered digital devices during the arrest, which will undergo “forensic examination”.
The arrest was made by officers of the Regional Organised Crime Unit for the West Midlands (ROCUWM), which has been working with the UK’s National Crime Agency and the US FBI on an international investigation to disrupt this criminal group.
“These cyber groups have targeted well-known organisations with ransomware and they have successfully targeted multiple victims around the world taking from them significant amounts of money,” said ROCUWM cyber crime unit manager Hinesh Mehta. “We want to send out a clear message that we will find you. It’s simply not worth it.”
MGM Resorts said it is “proud” to have assisted law enforcement in “locating and arresting one of the alleged criminals responsible for the cyberattack”.
“We know first-hand the damage these criminals can do and the importance of working with law enforcement to fight back,” MGM Resorts said. “By voluntarily shutting down our systems, refusing to pay a ransom and working with law enforcement on their investigation and response, the message to criminals was clear: it’s not worth it.”
The cyberattack last year was not the first time MGM Resorts had this type of issue. In 2020, a hacker gained unauthorised access to an cloud server that contained information for certain previous MGM Resorts guests.
Reports at the time claimed the personal data of 10.6m former guests was exposed and posted on an online hacking forum, including contact details of celebrities, CEOs, reporters and government officials.
Meanwhile, ransomware continues to be a constant threat for organisations, despite efforts from global law enforcement. Last month saw a major cyberattack disrupt UK hospitals and the attackers claimed to leak stolen patient data online.
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