EDMONTON — The River Cree and Resort Casino says patron and employee information was compromised over the weekend as a result of a cyberattack.
Vik Mahajan, general manager and COO of the casino, said they experienced some downtime on their systems over the weekend and learned of the attack on Monday.
River Cree staff are now in the process of contacting all customers and staff whose information might have been compromised.
“We feel very confident that we’ve taken all the steps that we need to, to protect all that information from going public,” Mahajan said. “Our customers and our associates, their privacy… is very important to us.”
The casino floor was not affected by the attack but it’s not known exactly how the information was obtained.
“I wish I had the answer to that. That’s what we’re trying to investigate as we speak,” Mahajan said.
“We are still sifting through what information and whose information went out.”
River Cree Resort and Casino was light on specific details so Global News called the hotline provided to customers.
The representative on the phone told Global News they believe the attack may have targeted player club members, but they can’t be certain.
The information attached to player club members includes their address, birth date and full name, according to River Cree.
The resort’s hotel, restaurant and ATM machines are all owned by third parties, not the River Cree.
The casino said it is working with the RCMP, the Alberta privacy commissioner’s office and American cybersecurity firm Mandiant to investigate the threat. The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission has also been notified.
River Cree said it is also working to strengthen its data security practices.
It’s not known how many people may have been affected.
Anyone with questions about the cyberattack is asked to contact the River Cree Resort and Casino’s hotline at 780-930-2596.