21/03/23
Aristocrat Releases Statement on the June 2023 Cyberattack Incident
Lisa Cheban | 06 September, 2023 11:34 | Last update on: 06 September, 2023 11:34
Aristocrat Leisure, an Australian supplier of cutting-edge iGaming technology, has disclosed that it was recently a victim of a cyber-attack. The company said that the incident happened on June 1, 2023, during which a hacker stole vital data.
The thieves have since posted online excerpts of the stolen material. According to Aristocrat, the hackers took advantage of a recently discovered weakness in MOVEit, a third-party file-sharing program in the company.
Thankfully, Aristocrat wasted no time in responding to the attack, putting in place several reactionary and preventive measures. Immediately after identifying the incident, the company moved to rectify the situation by fixing the vulnerability of the MOVEit software.
As this preventive measure was being implemented, Aristocrat notified the relevant law enforcement authorities and regulators of the attack. Also, the company worked with independent data experts to quickly identify the stolen data and implement mitigations. And lastly, the company says it informed all its global employees of the situation and offered identity theft protection services and complimentary credit monitoring.
Aristocrat has since finished analyzing the risks related to this incident and the potential effects on the company. Fortunately, the company anticipates minimal business impact from the cyberattack by implementing an effective risk management and mitigation plan.
The statement reads: “Based on the information available as at this date, Aristocrat expects low
business impact with the execution of an appropriate risk management and mitigation plan.
We will continue to manage this incident proactively and comprehensively, in the best interests
of our people, business and other stakeholders.”
Aristocrat Not the Only Victim
Cases of cyber-attacks are becoming increasingly common these days, something that should worry regulators, players, and all stakeholders. In November last year, DraftKings, a leading sports betting site in North America, confirmed a mass hacking incident on several player accounts. Many customers reported losing hundreds of dollars from their linked bank accounts.
After the incident, DraftKings’ stock shares fell by more than 10%. However, the company’s co-founder, Paul Liberman, said there was no evidence that the systems were breached to steal information. The bookmaker’s customers lost at least $300,000.
Fast forward to April 2023, Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited, a leading operator in Ontario, Canada, reported its own cyber incident. The company had to shut down 14 of its properties in Ontario for almost a week after an IT outage from a ransomware attack.
A statement from the company read: “Gateway casino sites across Ontario experienced a system-wide IT outage.”
The privately-owned company, with over 7,000 employees, provided little information about the incident for the next few days. A few days later, Gateway Casinos revealed that it had no knowledge of any missing private information and that the investigation into what caused the IT disruption was ongoing.
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