Hacker thought to be behind to MGM attack arrested by UK police

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17-year-old from Walsall arrested and released on bail

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A 17-year-old boy has been arrested in Walsall, England on suspicion of taking part in the ransomware attack against MGM Resorts,..

The West Midlands Police confirmed the arrest via a press release published late on Friday, saying the action was part of a larger campaign in which both the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and the FBI, participated.

“We have arrested a 17-year-old boy from Walsall in connection with a global cyber online crime group which has been targeting large organizations with ransomware and gaining access to computer networks,” the notification reads.

Names, addresses, and phone numbers

“The suspect was taken into custody on suspicion of Blackmail and Computer Misuse Act offenses and has been released on bail while we continue with our enquiries,” the police added. “We also recovered evidence at the address including a number of digital devices which will undergo forensic examination.”

A hacking collective known as Scattered Spider targeted MGM Resorts International’s computer systems in September 2023, affecting some casino and hotel computer systems including the company’s website. Mandiant Intelligence’s CTO, Charles Carmakal, spoke on LinkedIn about the group, also known as UNC3944, calling it “one of the most prevalent and aggressive threat actors impacting organizations in the United States today.”

Apparently, the attackers used vishing (voice phishing) to call an MGM Resorts employee and impersonate IT helpdesk. That way, they obtained network access credentials, which allowed them to deploy the ransomware, which ultimately cost the company at least $100 million.

The attack triggered an investigation from the FBI which, the West Midlands police confirmed, is now looking into Scattered Spider.

“The arrest is part of a global investigation into a large scale cyber hacking community which has targeted a number of major companies which includes MGM Resorts in America.”

Detective Inspector Hinesh Mehta, Cyber Crime Unit Manager, at ROCUWM, warned cybercriminals to stop attacking firms with ransomware: "We want to send out a clear message that we will find you. It’s simply not worth it.”

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Sead Fadilpašić

Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he’s written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He’s also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications.