Tasmania: Federal Group casinos hit by ransomware attack

Federal Group had to shut its Wrest Point and the Country Club casinos after a ransomware attack affected pokie machines and hotel bookings systems.

Australia.- Federal Group, a company primarily known for its casino and gaming assets in Tasmania, has revealed that it has been affected by a ransomware attack since April 3.

The cyberattack has affected its pokies machines and hotel booking system for more than a week and caused the casino operator to have to close activities at Wrest Point and Country Club casinos.

As yet, it remains unknown whether the ransomware attack leaked credit card or customer personal information. The operator has yet to count the financial costs of the attact.

According to the ABC newspaper, players have spent AU$53.7m on poker machines at Federal Group’s two casinos over the last eight months.

Daniel Hanna, Federal Group executive director, said the incident has been contained. He said that the Australian Cyber Security Centre was notified and was carrying out continued forensic analysis in coordination with law enforcement agencies.

See also: Australia: record spend on poker machines in Northern Territory.

What is a ransomware attack?

Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts a victim’s files. If the infected device is in a network, it can shut down entire companies, hospitals and universities.

Ransomware usually displays messages demanding a fee to be paid in order to allow the system to work again.