The world of cybersecurity has been shaken again by an audacious attack perpetrated by the ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware group against the MGM Resorts hotel chain.
Last Tuesday, the ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware group pulled off a bold coup by claiming responsibility for the cyber outage that hit MGM Resorts. According to its post in the vx-underground malware archive, The group claimed to have used social engineering tactics to gain the trust of employees and obtain inside information.. According to ALPHV, they managed to gain access through LinkedIn and a call to the help desk. Although these details come from the group, they have not yet been independently confirmed by security researchers.
This social engineering strategy is a reminder of the importance of cybersecurity in our digital lives. Even in the era of advanced technology, Trust is often the weakest link in the cybersecurity chain.
MGM Resorts, an international hotel and casino chain, began experiencing outages earlier in the week. Customers noticed slot machines at Las Vegas casinos owned by MGM Resorts were turned off. Despite the efforts, the company is still showing signs of downtime, including outages on its website.
Despite the pressure, MGM Resorts has remained firm in its refusal to pay the ransom demanded by ALPHV/BlackCat. In a statement, the company said its resorts, which include restaurants, entertainment and gaming, remain operational. This underlines the importance of having incident response plans rather than giving in to cybercriminals.
To better understand the threat facing organizations like MGM Resorts, It is crucial to know what ransomware is. Ransomware is a type of malware that blocks access to personal systems or files, demanding a ransom to restore access. Although the first variants date back to the 80s, today payments are made in cryptocurrencies or credit cards.
Ransomware can infiltrate your computer in a variety of ways. One of the most common is malspam, which uses unwanted emails to distribute malware. These emails often contain malicious attachments or links to fraudulent websites, taking advantage of social engineering to trick users.
Another form of infection is malvertising, which spreads through online advertisements and can lead users to criminal servers without their direct interaction.
Keep reading:
– FBI Announces Takedown of Sophisticated 20-Year-Old Russian Malware Network Known as “Snake”
– Daam: what is the malware that infects your phone and changes your passwords without you realizing it?
– Android: If you have one of these applications, your phone is infected with a virus that steals your information
Source: La Opinion
