Summary:
- The casino and restaurants are closed.
- The lodge and RV park are open.
- New reservations are not being taken at this time
It seems cybercriminals have struck a casino again.
The Swinomish Casino & Lodge in Washington is the latest casualty. The casino was attacked a few days ago, and casino officials posted information about the attack on April 11. It is unclear how long it will take for the venue to be operational once again.
Details of the Closure
The Swinomish Casino announced that the cyberattack has affected its operations. The casino and on-site restaurants are closed. The loyalty and rewards program offerings will cease until the casino is up and running again.
The lodge and RV park are open to honor existing reservations. Patrons can decide to cancel and receive a refund due to the casino and restaurant closures. The casino does not know when services will resume but is working as quickly as possible to be back up and running.
Updates will be provided on the Swinomish Casino website and Facebook page. As systems come back online, players will be made aware.
Working With Law Enforcement on the Matter
For now, the casino is working with law enforcement and cybersecurity experts to try and determine the scope of the attack. Players have been asking if a data breach occurred, and so far, there is not enough information to determine if player data is at risk.
If a data breach is discovered, those affected will be contacted immediately. The casino asks its patrons to exercise caution and check account statements for any odd activity. Free credit reports can be used to monitor activity.
In most cyber security incidents, data is breached and sold on the black market. This is the reason for robocalls or password breaches to online accounts. Casinos are a prime target for cybercriminals due to the personal information housed on computers along with the amount of money that moves through the gaming venues.
We should see in the coming days if the attack was caught early enough to avoid any data issues or if there is a ransom to get the services back up and running. This attack may be similar to those that Caesars and MGM dealt with last year, targeted by the same hacking group.
It will be interesting to see if this attack is from the same culprits or if another group or individual is at play. Why was the Swinomish targeted, and what would the outcome be? Will the Washington casino be operational soon, or will it remain closed for several more days?
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