source: pixabay.comPokies machines in two casinos in Tasmania, Australia have been forced to shut down for two weeks after they were subject to a ransomware cyber attack over Easter weekend.
Federal Group, the owners of the casinos, confirmed last week that gaming machines at Hobart’s Wrest Point and the Country Club in Launceston were taken offline following an “incident” in the morning of April 3rd.
The Federal Group which is a privately owned family company that operates tourism, hospitality, retail, and a national sensitive freight company, confirmed that the cyber attack which also affected Federal Group’s hotel booking system was a ransomware attack, with threats to publish data unless a ransom is paid.
The Federal Group said in a statement:
“As a result of hard work by our team and external experts, including over the Easter long weekend, the immediate incident itself has been contained,”
“The Australian Cyber Security Centre was notified and is coordinating relevant law enforcement agencies and continued forensic analysis.
“The incident is being actively investigated by Federal Group and external experts we have retained.”
“Our team has done an excellent job to ensure we have been able to continue serving customers and guests,”
At the time of publishing, it is not known when the pokies machine will be online again. However, there is no indication that pokies machines beyond the casinos have been affected.
