As seen by Hackread.com and researchers at VPNMentor, the leaked data includes sensitive PII information of MGM resort customers.
On July 14th, 2020, Hackread.com reported that a hacker going by the online handle of NightLion stole several databases from the breach monitoring site DataViper. One of the databases belonged to MGM Resorts and contained the personal data of 142 million customers.
Although at that time NightLion was selling the data on now seized Rainforums and dark web marketplaces for $2,900, the latest reports reveal that the same database comprising 142 million records has been shared on Telegram for the public to download for free.
MGM Resorts International is an American chain of hotels and an entertainment firm. Its hotels are located in the United States and China.
It is worth noting that lately, Telegram groups have become home to data leaks. Earlier this month, the personal data of 21 million SuperVPN, GeckoVPN, and ChatVPN users was also dumped on several Telegram groups for download.
As for the MGM Resorts, according to VPNMentor researchers, who identified the data on 22 May 2022, four archives of files were discovered containing 8.7GB of data. Currently, researchers are unclear about the exact number of affected users, but rough estimates suggest this leak could impact around 30 million people.
Details of Leaked Data
VPNMentor researchers have confirmed that personally identifiable information/PII is part of the data leaked on Telegram. The information belongs to MGM Hotels customers spread across the globe and includes the following data:
- Full names
- Dates of birth
- Phone numbers
- Email addresses
According to the hacker who published the data on Telegram, there are 142,479,938 records in the leak dating back to 2017. This includes more than 24 million unique email IDs and over 30 million unique contact numbers.
What are the Dangers?
Threat actors can exploit the data to launch phishing email campaigns and scams. They can trap the victim through email and SMS by using their business or residential addresses to build trust and even perform identity theft.
Since the breach is around two years old, people may not be expecting to be targeted, making them more vulnerable to attacks. However, through the date of birth details, scammers may target unsuspected users. If you want to stay protected, never respond to suspicious emails, calls, or SMS messages.
