MGM Resorts Offers Cybersecurity Help to Boyd Gaming After Attack

Cybersecurity remains a sensitive subject for casino operators in Las Vegas. MGM Resorts International chief technology officer John Branden Newman recently confirmed that his team reached out to Boyd Gaming Corp. following a newly disclosed cyberattack. This as first reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Good to know

• MGM Resorts offered direct support to Boyd Gaming after news of the cyber incident surfaced.
• Newman himself was previously MGM’s chief information security officer during the company’s high-profile 2023 cyberattack.
• A 17-year-old linked to that earlier MGM hack has now surrendered to law enforcement.

Speaking at a Nevada Gaming Commission licensing hearing, Newman explained that MGM’s security group quickly contacted Boyd Gaming to offer help once word of the breach became public.

“It’s obviously unfortunate that a lot of the players in the industry and various industries actually are still getting hit by these same types of attacks,” Newman said. “We did reach out and offer our support. I don’t have a lot of detailed information about it. The current chief information security officer was the one that was doing that coordination with Boyd during that time to offer ours.”

The outreach reflects how gaming companies, often rivals on the casino floor, sometimes share expertise when it comes to fighting digital threats.

MGM’s Own Lessons From 2023

Newman has long experience in this area. He was chief information security officer during MGM’s 2023 breach, which temporarily disrupted operations and led to millions in losses. He told regulators that the response forced his team to rebuild systems from the ground up.

“It was obviously a very difficult time for us responding to that incident and rebuilding the environment,” Newman explained. “We have put in numerous controls to reduce the risk of any further occurrence of this, and we keep our eye on all the threat intelligence across the industry, including keeping up with the various threat actors that are still hitting people in our industry. We’re still working with the FBI.”

His background also includes service with the United States Air Force and Department of Defense. Today, he oversees more than 650 staff members working on technology and security at MGM.

A Teen Hacker Tied to the MGM Breach

The hearing also touched on a related development: the surrender of a 17-year-old linked to MGM’s 2023 attack. The suspect, just 15 at the time, now faces several charges.

Authorities outlined the case: “The teenager faces three counts of using stolen personal information, one count of extortion, one count of conspiracy to commit extortion, and one count of unlawful computer acts. The charges are linked to the activity of ‘Scattered Spider,’ a loosely organized hacking group that has also gone by names such as Octo Tempes, UNC3944, and 0ktapus.”

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