The recently held fourth Indigenous Cybersecurity Summit in the United States aimed to provide participants with a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by tribes. Tony Pepper, CEO of Pepper Consulting, highlighted that the summit focused on issues related to cyber fraud.
Several concerns discussed at the summit revolved around potential threats from hackers and ransomware infiltrating casino systems through viruses. Despite technological advancements, the primary vulnerability in gambling systems is identified as the human factor, presenting the most significant risk.
Mike Miller, Chief Information Security Officer at Appalachia Technologies, cited the cybersecurity weaknesses at MGM Resorts International in 2023 as a clear example of what can no longer be tolerated. Hackers disrupted computer systems across the company's various locations. Miller emphasized that similar situations are not a matter of "if" but a question of "when" for many tribal businesses.
