UPDATE: As of Sept. 20, "all of our hotels and casinos are operating normally," MGM Resorts tweeted this week. On the website and app, however, it's still working to restore hotel booking and MGM Rewards funtionality. But you can still make restaurant reservations or appointments at the resort's spa and salon.
Original Story 9/11:A cyberattack against MGM Resorts International has caused an outage across numerous hotels in Las Vegas that’s preventing some guests from entering their rooms with digital keys.
MGM Resorts confirmed a “cybersecurity issue” as the company’s website and app went down. The attack was serious enough that MGM resorted to shutting down certain IT systems.
“Promptly after detecting the issue, we quickly began an investigation with assistance from leading external cybersecurity experts,” MGM Resorts tweeted. “Our investigation is ongoing, and we are working diligently to determine the nature and scope of the matter.”
The incident means MGM’s mobile app is warning that the digital keys it can issue to open hotel rooms are “unavailable.” Consumers at the hotel also report that at least some slot machines and ATMs in the casinos have been offline since last night.
Others say the outage has ensnared IT services across MGM hotels. “We are at one of your resorts. It's pretty widespread. We can't check in, pay with card, use comps, receive our gifts, get tickets out of machines,” wrote one user on Twitter.
In addition, the websites for the Aria Hotel, Bellagio, and Mandalay Bay— along with several other hotels in Las Vegas that MGM Resorts also owns — all appear to be down. Meanwhile, TechCrunch reports that MGM’s properties outside of Sin City are also affected.
MGM Resorts didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But it’s possible the company is dealing with a ransomware attack, which can encrypt entire computer systems, taking them offline unless the victim pays up in cryptocurrency. The widespread malfunctions and the decision to shut down certain IT systems bear all the hallmarks of a company trying to fend off an active ransomware infection.
The other problem is that ransomware attacks can also lead to the theft of company data, including customer records. So any major intrusion could ensnare sensitive information from numerous guests at MGM Resorts.