Threat Management, Vulnerability Management

Russian hacker extorts gambling company after cracking poker machines

A Russian mathematician and programmer attempted to extort Aristocrat Leisure, an Australian gambling company, in upwards of $10 million after cracking the spin sequence on several of the firm's poker machines.

The programmer who goes by the name Alex, leads a St. Petersburg-based cybergang and claims to pull in more than $300,000 a week from vulnerable poker machines in casinos around the globe, according to Wired. Aristocrat reportedly confirmed to Business Daily that it was the subject of an extortion attempt but did not give into the criminal's demands, according to the Herald Sun.

“Consistent with our standard protocols, Aristocrat referred this extortion attempt to the relevant authorities and managed it in full compliance with all relevant protocols,” the company said in a statement. “Aristocrat is a high integrity company that has zero tolerance for unethical behaviour. Accordingly, it did not pay, nor has it ever paid, extortion monies.”

Alex insinuated that he would leak details of his exploit to Aristocrat competitors if his demands aren't met.

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