Las Vegas Sands Websites Hacked, State Gambling Regulators Launch Investigation

Las Vegas Sands recently launched an investigation into the security breach of several casino websites.

The company is working alongside the Nevada State Gaming Control Board to find the folks responsible for hacking the homepage of both the Venetian and the Palazzo, among others. According to reports, the FBI was recently alerted about the situation. However, it’s unclear if the federal agency is currently involved with the investigation.

Although Las Vegas Sands representative Ron Reese confirmed that the company’s websites were breached, he didn’t say whether credit card information or customer data was compromised.

Unfortunately, the hackers responsible for the breach posted employee info — including email addresses and social security numbers — on the website for the Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem. The culprits also posted an image of Sands chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson posing with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Damn A, don’t let your tongue cut your throat. Encouraging the use of weapons of mass destruction, under any conditions, is a crime,” the hackers reportedly posted on the Bethlehem casino’s website shortly before it went down.

Adelson is known for his very vocal support of Israel, which may explain why the attack was directed at his businesses. The people responsible for the attack included the name “Anti WMD Team,” which is possibly a reference to Adelson’s desire to launch a nuclear attack on Iran.

In addition to Las Vegas and Bethlehem, websites for casinos in Macau and Singapore were also hacked. Several of the Sands’ operating systems were taken down as a result, disrupting email accounts and preventing employees from logging in.

This isn’t the first time a Las Vegas casino has suffered a security breach in recent months. The Inquisitr previously reported that Affinity Casinos suffered a breach last year in Colorado, Iowa, Missouri, and Nevada. Data was stolen from several casinos between March and October of 2013, though the company didn’t make a broad announcement until December. It’s believed that 300,000 cardholders were affected by the attack.

Affinity said in a release on its website:

“Affinity Gaming recently became aware of an intrusion into the system that processes customer credit and debit cards for our casinos, and a thorough investigation is under way by third-party data forensics experts. We also have notified law enforcement and gaming regulatory officials, and are cooperating in investigating the matter. Although our forensics investigation is ongoing, outside experts have confirmed that our system has been fully secured and our customers’ payments are protected.”

An investigation in the Las Vegas Sands security breach is still underway. Are you concerned about the possibility of compromised data falling into the wrong hands?

[Image via Shutterstock.com]