-
Casinos for you
50+ SBTech-Powered Websites Hammered by Attempted Cyberattack
By Jeff Osienya Mar 31, 2020 TechnologySBTech is now recuperating from a brutal cyber-attack which led to a 3-day downtime for all their partner sites after they were forced to unplug their global data centers.After suffering through a 72-hour outage, SBTech is now working through the process of rebooting their clientele websites to bring them back online. Over 50 client websites powered by SBTech went dark after an alarm was raised on suspicion of a potentially vicious cyberattack on Friday evening. The supplier had to temporarily pull the plug on its global power centers which brought the websites down, rather than waiting for them to get compromised as they try to find a solution behind the scenes.
SBTech’s robust surveillance system flagged the budding cybersecurity threat late on Friday, and they quickly moved to shut down all their data centers all over the world as a precautionary measure. After that, they brought in third party specialists to get to the root of the problem for the better part of the weekend.
Possible Ransomware Attack
As we speak, the exact nature of the threat has not yet been disclosed to the public. However, Geraint Williams, GRCI Group’s Chief Information Officer of Security Services, pointed out that the length of the breakdown rules out a Direct Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. That’s because companies of SBTech’s magnitude typically have enough resources for fallback plans such as back-up servers that would allow them to bounce back real quick in case of DDoS attacks.
Mr Williams suspects that it could have been an attempted ransomware attack because such attacks require enough time to thoroughly scrutinize the systems to ensure that everything is squeaky clean before being brought back online.
Which Websites were Affected?
Right now, the affected sites operating in the USA include Oregon Lottery’s Score Board product and Churchill Downs’ BetAmerica. On top of that, Europe continues to suffer a massive blow as some high-traffic betting sites like Bet.pt, 10bet, NetBet, Virgin Bet, ComeOn and Bethard are all still dark.
As luck may have it for SBTech however, amidst the suspension of all the major global sporting events because of the coronavirus pandemic, going offline over the weekend did not result in any substantial losses for the affected partners.
Bad Timing?
Moreover, the alleged cyberattack comes weeks before SBTech and Draftkings’ merger is about to be sealed, a deal that could create a newly listed US gaming giant. Some sources, however, suspect that the forthcoming merger could likely have something to do with the attack.
Otherwise, it’s a bizarre time for a cyberattack on a sportsbook-driven company with many sports currently suspended. Cybercriminals are known to hit hardest when they know they can corner you into a tight spot so that you can pay up.
Either way, the stakeholders of Diamond Eagle Acquisition Corp. have called a special meeting to be held on April 9th to vote on the proposed merger.
SBTech’s Recovery
Sources close to the matter have reported that the threat itself has now been handled. SBTech is now rising from the hiccup with all their systems rebooted. Even more important, all their customer data was heavily encrypted, leaving no data breaches.
SBTech will, however, still be subjected to heavy quality assurance verification checks and testing before their system starts serving all its 50+ partner websites worldwide again. And from the look of things, its European client sites will likely resume operations before their US counterparts.
A message from one of the partner’s websites proposed that relaunches would commence from 8:00 am today (March 31st) as some partner sites remain offline for the moment. According to sources, the relaunch process was stalled by some complications, but they still managed to stay on schedule and proceed as planned.
You might also like