Marina Bay Sands (MBS), the popular luxury resort in Singapore was reportedly hit by a recent data breach. According to the authorities, the cyberattack has affected 665,000 customers who are shopping loyalty program members.
Marina Bay Sands Cyberattack
In an announcement, the MBS management said that the hack took place on Oct. 20. At that time, unknown hackers were able to infiltrate the system and gain access to the information of the members subscribed to the loyalty program.
"Marina Bay Sands became aware of a data security incident on 20 October 2023 involving unauthorized third-party access on 19 and 20 October 2023 to some of our customers' loyalty program membership data," the MBS post reads.
The company also said that the following customer data were accessed by the cybercriminals who took charge of the data breach. The investigation found that the information below was affected.
- Name
- Email address
- Mobile phone number
- Phone number
- Country of residence
- Membership number and tier
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Dangerous Part Behind MBS Attack
According to a report by Bleeping Computer, the hackers could use the customers' data to launch different types of scams in the future. These include phishing campaigns and social engineering schemes.
Moreover, the investigators did not clarify if the Sands Rewards Club members or those casino members were also affected by the breach.
MBS assures that the customers will be notified if their personal data are exposed in the process. Aside from Singaporean authorities, the management already reported the incident to the neighboring countries.
At the time, it is still not yet identified if the hackers deployed a ransomware attack for this particular scheme. If that's the case, the group might ask for a ransom payment in exchange for the sensitive customer data.
The Marina Bay Sands attack happened just a few weeks after MGM Resorts was hit by the alleged "Scattered Spider" hackers.
According to Tech Times, the group is currently using a form of "low-tech social engineering" to penetrate IT networks within the company's database.
Two unnamed sources believed that the notorious cybercriminal gang was accountable for this particular security breach.
Hacking Incidents Spread Across the EHT Industry
With the pattern that started to take shape on Marina Bay Sands and MGM Resorts, it's clear now that hackers are expanding their operations.
According to Help Net Security, the cybercriminals might have set the entertainment, hospitality, and tourism (EHT) industry as their seasonal target this year.
Before the EHT industry, the ransomware actors had been feasting on the manufacturing and technology industries. It should be noted that the rampant events continue to increase as December draws near.
This is evident in the Q3 2023 report which says that there's an increase in the total number of victims in the US.
