Kewadin Casinos have not yet resolved a cyberattack that led to the closure of the Michigan gaming facilities earlier this week.
The Sault Ste. The Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians closed the casinos in the Upper Peninsula following what seems to be a ransomware incident.
As reported by the Detroit Free Press, they brought in a consultant and initiated an inquiry to determine the reason behind the attack.
The report stated that Tribal Chair Austin Lowes attributed the cyberattack to an unidentified type of ransomware.
Reopening May Require a Week or Longer
Tribal officials stated that the technological issue might be fixed "in a week," but it could "persist for a longer time."
“Gaming operations will be halted until further notice,” the casino alerted the public at the start of the week.
“We understand that this is inconvenient and unexpected news.” the tribe further posted.
"Please know our experts are working around-the-clock to restore gaming operations,” casino officials posted on social media sites. “We apologize for this inconvenience.”
The event started on Sunday. The choice to close down activities was made a few hours later, with gambling ending at 7 a.m. on Monday.
It was referred to as a “data security incident that affected our gaming operations,” as stated in a Facebook post.
Gambling in Sault Ste. Marie, Manistique, Christmas, Hessel, and St. Ignace were all closed. Additional tribal enterprises were also shut down.
Uncertain whether Ransom Requested
It is unclear whether the hackers demanded a ransom from the tribe to restore their computer systems.
In 2023, the remarkable hacking of MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment was carried out by Scattered Spider. There has been no sign they were involved in the Michigan hack.
"We immediately enlisted the help of third-party experts to determine how this incident was caused and to restore our gaming operations as quickly as possible,” the Michigan tribe posted in a statement. “We will provide updates as more information becomes available,” the tribe added.
As of now, information regarding the reopening has not been made available.
A woman whose intentions to go to the casinos were interrupted by the hack sought explanations.
The woman, recognized on Facebook as Kelli Lindsay, inquired, “Where are the updates?” I booked a room for 3 nights this week and can't cancel it; how can we reach someone regarding reservations?