In British Columbia, their lottery corporation (BCLC) had a new release on Thursday. They’re asking users of PlayNow online gambling platforms to change their passwords immediately. According to reports, there was a high volume of credential-stuffing attacks detected. This is where cybercriminals acquire log-in credentials that have been stolen during data breaches. A user’s information is then sold on the dark web. These hackers often can gain access to multiple accounts on different sites for users who use the same password on multiple sites. The BCLC said asking their users to change their passwords is a “precautionary measure.” Their press release claimed that only a small percentage of PlayNow users were affected.
What exactly happened in this cyberattack?
On July 24, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation identified an unusually high amount of traffic on their site. Since then, it has been revealed that the high amount of traffic was due to cybercriminals trying to hijack the site and take stolen passwords. The BCLC claims that only a small percentage of PlayNow users are impacted. PlayNow is operated by the BCLC in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. They were quick to let the affected users know that their accounts were locked. Additionally, they were informed to change their password on other sites that shared the same password that was stolen. BCLC President Pat Davis had this to say about PlayNow accounts being hijacked.
“This is a deeply concerning incident and a cautionary tale for everyone with multiple online accounts,” said Davis. “Our investigation remains ongoing, and we have found no evidence that our systems have been compromised, or that player login information was stolen from our systems.”
A DraftKings incident from 2022 will shock you
In November 2022, over $600,000 was stolen from roughly 1,600 DraftKings accounts. This caused shares of the company to drop 5% on the Nasdaq. DraftKings had just recently launched in several US markets. Investors feared that customers would be weary of using the site. However, DraftKings continues to battle with FanDuel for the top sportsbook in the US. In February 2023, a Wisconsin teenager by the name of Joseph Garrison was arrested by federal agents for his role in the cyberattacks. Garrison was sentenced to 18 months in prison in January 2024.