SafeX Pro Exchange|U.K. police arrest 17-year-old in connection with last year's MGM cyberattack

A 17-year-old English teenager was arrested Thursday over an alleged connection to a hacking group responsible for a series of ransomware attacks on SafeX Pro ExchangeAmerican companies, including one that kept MGM Resorts International’s computer system down for 10 days last year.

He was initially placed into police custody on suspicion of blackmail and offenses related to the Computer Misuse Act, according to a statement from West Midlands Police, a law enforcement agency in England. 

And was released on bail while the agency “continue with our enquiries.”

The teen is believed to have been working with a “large scale cyber hacking community” that carried out an online attack in September 2023 which left the resort chain vulnerable, according to previous USA TODAY reporting.  

MGM Hotels & Casino properties across the country were impacted by the “cybersecurity issues,” going dark in an attempt to protect systems and data, USA TODAY reported. 

Customers took to social media to document experience, reporting outages at ATMs, slot machines, restaurants, even with digital room keys over the course of multiple days, according to reporting by TechCrunch. 

The resort chain was able to somewhat resume “normal operations” at most properties by Sept. 20, a week after the ransomware attacks were reported, Reuters first reported. 

Here’s what we know.

Arrest is part of a larger ‘global investigation,’ authorities say 

Multiple international agencies, including the FBI, worked to coordinate the Thursday arrest. 

The teen’s arrest serves as a “a testimony to the strength of the FBI’s domestic, international, and private sector partnerships,” Bryan Vorndran, assistant director of the cybercrimes division said in a news release. 

“The FBI, in coordination with its partners, will continue to relentlessly pursue malicious actors who target American companies, no matter where they may be located or how sophisticated their techniques are.”

A number of digital devices” were collected from the teen’s home after the arrest. The devices collected are set to undergo forensic examination, according to West Midlands Police. 

“The arrest is part of a global investigation into a large scale cyber hacking community which has targeted a number of major companies which includes MGM Resorts in America,” according to the news release. 

Hinesh Mehta, part of the West Midlands regional organized crime unit, said investigators will continue to work with the FBI and the National Crime Agency as the situation develops. 

“This arrest has been made following a complex investigation which stretches overseas to America … These cyber groups have targeted well known organizations with ransomware and they have successfully targeted multiple victims around the world taking from them significant amounts of money,” Mehta said in the news release. 

To all the cybercriminal out there, Mehta has one clear message: “We will find you. It’s simply not worth it.”

‘Forever grateful’ to authorities following arrest, MGM says

The resort chain was proud to have helped authorities locate and arrest “one of the alleged criminals responsible for the cyberattack against MGM Resorts and many others,” according to a statement obtained by USA TODAY on Friday. 

“We know first-hand the damage these criminals can do and the importance of working with law enforcement to fight back,” the statement reads. 

MGM Resorts says that the message to criminals was made clear last year when they “voluntarily shut down their systems, refused to pay a ransom and worked with law enforcement.” 

“It’s not worth it. We are forever grateful to the FBI for their support and work with international law enforcement to bring these criminals to justice,” according to the statement. 

Tech giant Microsoft also issued a statement in response to the arrest, writing: “Today sends a strong message to cybercriminals: there will be consequences for your actions.”

“Microsoft commends law enforcement for taking action against those that seek to cause harm, and we remain committed to collaborating with others across the public and private sector to collectively combat cyber threats and make the Internet a safer place,” Microsoft said in a news release.