Rivers Casino Hack Leads to Lawsuit
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:In a scathing indictment of Rivers Casino Des Plaines' cybersecurity practices, a class-action lawsuit has been filed against the casino's operator, Midwest Gaming & Entertainment, LLC. It alleges that the casino's negligence led to a massive data breach that exposed sensitive personal information of tens of thousands of individuals.
Thousands of Customers Affects
The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, names Midwest Gaming & Entertainment as the defendant. The complaint alleges that on August 12, 2023, an unauthorized third party gained access to certain files stored on the casino's network, compromising the privacy of employees, customers and online sportsbook users.
The breadth of the compromised data is staggering. It covers all user data, including individuals' full names, phone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth, driver's license numbers, government ID numbers, financial account details, tax identification numbers, passport numbers and Social Security numbers.
At the heart of the lawsuit is the allegation that Rivers Casino failed to implement adequate cybersecurity measures to protect the sensitive information entrusted to its care. The complaint paints a picture of a casino that stored this crucial data in an unencrypted format, making it a sitting duck for cybercriminals.
"Had proper encryption been implemented, the criminals would have exfiltrated only unintelligible data," the lawsuit states, highlighting the casino's gross negligence in safeguarding this sensitive information.
Further compounding the casino's culpability is the claim that it failed to properly monitor its computer systems, allowing the unauthorized access to go undetected for an extended period. This negligence, the lawsuit argues, exacerbated the extent of the data breach and the potential damage to victims.
Attack Not Taken Seriously
The lawsuit also takes issue with the casino's belated and inadequate notice to affected individuals. The notice, which was sent out in November, lacked critical details about the breach, such as how the hackers gained access to the network and what measures the casino was taking to prevent future incidents.
"The notice failed to inform victims of the exact scope of the data breach, the specific data that was compromised, and the potential risks of identity theft and other fraudulent activities," the complaint states.
The lawsuit further contends that Rivers Casino's conduct fell far short of the standard of care expected from an organization entrusted with such sensitive personal information. In light of the prevalence of cyberattacks in recent years, the casino should have been aware of the risks and taken proactive steps to protect its customers' data.
The plaintiffs in the case, led by a Chicago resident and Rivers Casino customer, argue that the casino's negligence has exposed them to a heightened risk of identity theft, fraud, and other illegal schemes. They seek to represent anyone in the US whose personal information was compromised in the data breach.
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