Calgary casino hit by hackers over cyber-security demands

Police are actively investigating the data breach

Calgary casino hit by hackers over cyber-security demands

Cyber

By Lyle Adriano

Hackers claim to have leaked a second bout of sensitive information from a Calgary-based casino after their demands went unmet.

On June 11, hackers that breached the systems of Cowboys Casino in 2016 shared their stolen consumer data with the public. The data included information on customer payouts, gambling habits, and the casino’s purported “elite member list”.

After the first leak, the hackers warned more information would be disclosed in the following weeks until Cowboys Casino fixes its cyber security.

Search and compare insurance product listings against Cyber Attack from specialty market providers here

The hackers’ demands appear to have been ignored. On Thursday (June 22) they claim to have started phase two of their data leaks, releasing documents like internal emails, employee payroll, background checks, disciplinary reports, and security incidents.

“Cowboys Casino has still not taken the matter of their customers’/employees’ security seriously, so we are releasing our second data dump to the public,” an online note from the hackers reads.

Cowboys Casino general manager Tyrone Waite said the casino had not experienced any new data breaches since the attack last May and that data security changes were made following the first attack.

“We have assurance from all our IT people,” Waite told Calgary Herald. “Our e-mail isn’t even kept here. It’s kept in the cloud through a secure, third-party server.”

Det. Jeremy Wittman with the Calgary police cyber forensic unit confirmed there is still an active investigation into the data breach and that the unit is working with other agencies on the case.

Wittman also said the individuals involved with the breach are believed to be based in North America. “At this point the investigation sort of identifies that it’s not a foreign entity, but that the group resides most likely within Canada,” he explained.


Related stories:
Privacy commissioner says “hundreds of thousands” of Albertans are targeted by hackers yearly
Hackers leak customer data of Calgary-based casino
 

Keep up with the latest news and events

Join our mailing list, it’s free!