MGM Hack Leaves Guests Locked Out Of Rooms And Takes Slot Machines Offline
By Bill Galluccio
September 11, 2023
MGM Resorts was victimized by a massive cyber attack that forced it to shut down its computer systems. As a result, thousands of guests in Las Vegas were locked out of their rooms because their digital keys no longer worked.
"MGM Resorts recently identified a cybersecurity issue affecting some of the company's systems. Promptly after detecting the issue, we quickly began an investigation with assistance from leading external cybersecurity experts. We also notified law enforcement and took prompt action to protect our systems and data, including shutting down certain systems," the company said in a statement posted to X. "Our investigation is ongoing, and we are working diligently to determine the nature and scope of the matter."
The outage also took down the slot machines in numerous casinos along the Las Vegas Strip, including MGM Grand, Aria, Mandalay Bay, the Bellagio, and Luxor.
Restaurants within the casinos were forced to take cash payments only, and guests were unable to charge expenses to their rooms.
According to Tech Crunch, the cyber attack also impacted MGM properties outside of Las Vegas.
Photos and videos on social media showed the broken slot machines, while other users complained that their digital keys stopped working.
It’s affecting everything. MGM is scrod. https://t.co/zqURIKkfC4 pic.twitter.com/jGqlVWxNHI
— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) September 11, 2023
Tech issues continue at MGM Resorts as company officials work with law enforcement to investigate a "cybersecurity incident". Several slot machines were spotted not working at the @AriaLV this morning.
— KTNV 13 Las Vegas (@KTNV) September 11, 2023
[🎥: @bryanhorwath]
READ MORE: https://t.co/diVQq7I19P pic.twitter.com/pKCXivEOnD
MGM Resorts has about 48,000 rooms on The Strip. Devastating. https://t.co/vORhm94JT7
— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) September 11, 2023