A 17-year-old from Walsall, England, has been arrested in connection with a ransomware attack that disrupted MGM Resorts in Las Vegas last year. The West Midlands Police Department confirmed the arrest, stating the teenager is suspected of blackmail and violating the UK’s Computer Misuse Act. He was subsequently released on bail while the investigation continues.
The arrest was part of a collaborative effort between the UK’s National Crime Agency and the FBI. Police officials recovered several digital devices from the suspect’s residence, which are now undergoing forensic examination. The investigation is ongoing, with authorities working to gather more evidence.
Authorities revealed that the teenager was allegedly involved with a global cybercrime group, though specific details about the group were not disclosed.
Teen Arrested for Ransomware Attack on MGM Resorts Linked to Global Cybercrime Group
The ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware group claimed responsibility for the MGM Resorts attack, stating that the breach was achieved through a simple phone call to a Help Desk employee using information from LinkedIn. This same group also claimed responsibility for a ransomware attack on the beauty brand Esteé Lauder.
According to ALPHV/BlackCat, compromising MGM Resorts involved leveraging LinkedIn to identify an employee and then manipulating the Help Desk. The cyberattack on MGM Resorts occurred on September 12, 2023, leading to a significant nine-day system shutdown that affected operations across all of MGM’s casinos on the Las Vegas Strip.
In addition to the MGM Resorts incident, it was later revealed that Caesars was also targeted by a different group. However, Caesars chose to pay the hackers tens of millions of dollars to prevent the release of private company data, highlighting the severe impact and wide reach of such cyberattacks on major corporations.
