Teen arrested for suspected “sophisticated” cyber attack on Las Vegas casinos resulting in $100 million in damages

A teenager has been apprehended for allegedly executing a complex cyber assault on a multitude of casino establishments in Las Vegas. The attacks reportedly occurred within the timeframe of August 2023 to October 2023. The FBI’s Las Vegas Cyber Task Force spearheaded the investigation and managed to make an arrest on September 17, 2025.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) disclosed in a press release that numerous Las Vegas casinos were targeted by sophisticated network penetrations. The culprits utilized a variety of aliases including “Scattered Spider,” “Octo Tempest,” “UNC3944,” and “0ktapus.”

Upon thorough examination, it was discovered that a male adolescent was linked as the primary suspect. He voluntarily surrendered himself to the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center, where he is now confronting multiple charges in connection with the cyber intrusions.

Reportedly, the targeted casinos suffered financial losses amounting to $100 million, with MGM, a proprietor of various resorts in Las Vegas, indicating in a filing that the hackers managed to deactivate hotel keycards and manipulate slot machines. Additionally, they disrupted reservation systems and impeded employee access to their email accounts.

As per SFGate, the hacker effortlessly breached MGM’s systems within a mere 10-minute timeframe. The hacker purportedly located an MGM Grand employee on LinkedIn and impersonated them to communicate with the IT department under false pretenses, subsequently initiating a password reset that granted swift access to critical systems.

KTLA also reported that hackers targeted Caesars Entertainment during the same timeframe, gaining entry to sensitive customer information, including social security numbers, as outlined in an SEC filing. Although Caesar’s announced measures to ensure the eradication of the pilfered data by the unauthorized party, cybersecurity specialists deemed it likely that a ransom was paid to the hackers.

The individual in question is currently facing multiple charges, including three counts of accessing and utilizing personal identifying information of others with malicious intent, one count of extortion, one count of conspiring to commit extortion, and one count of engaging in illicit activities concerning computers, as outlined by the LVMPD. The District Attorney’s Office intends to transfer the teenager to the criminal division for prosecution as an adult.