British Teen Arrested for Suspected Involvement in MGM Resorts Ransomware Attack

Authorities have apprehended a 17-year-old male in Walsall, England, on suspicion of participating in a ransomware attack that disrupted MGM Resorts' operations in Las Vegas last year.

The West Midlands Police Department confirmed the arrest, indicating that the teenager is suspected of blackmail and violating the UK's Computer Misuse Act. He has been released on bail pending further investigation.

The arrest was the result of a collaborative investigation between the UK's National Crime Agency and the FBI. Several digital devices were seized from the suspect’s home and are currently undergoing forensic examination. Authorities believe the teenager is linked to a global cybercrime group, though the specific group was not identified.

The ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware group has claimed responsibility for the attack on MGM Resorts, which took place on September 12, 2023. The group allegedly executed the attack by making a phone call to an MGM Help Desk employee, using information obtained from LinkedIn. This led to a nine-day system shutdown affecting MGM Resorts' properties on the Las Vegas Strip.

On social media platform X, ALPHV stated:

"All ALPHV ransomware group did to compromise MGM Resorts was hop on LinkedIn, find an employee, then call the Help Desk."

The cyberattack caused significant disruptions across all MGM Resorts casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. In a related incident, Caesars Entertainment was also targeted by a different hacking group around the same time. Caesars reportedly paid tens of millions of dollars to prevent the release of private company data.

Last month, MGM Resorts announced a partnership with Playtech to stream live casino content from its Las Vegas properties, including the MGM Grand and Bellagio Resort & Casino. Branded as ‘MGM Live,’ this content will be available for licensing in regulated markets worldwide, excluding the US.