Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians experienced a data breach in February, forcing the closure of all five Kewadin Casinos on the Upper Peninsula for two to three weeks, reopening in phases. The breach compromised multiple departments, including gaming operations, computer systems, and phone systems, leading to operational disruptions and financial losses from casino shutdowns. The tribe refused to pay the ransom demanded by hackers. The breach exposed sensitive data, prompting the tribe to offer free identity protection services to affected individuals. While the exact nature of the compromised data (e.g., customer PII, employee records, or financial details) was not fully specified, the shutdown of casinos a critical revenue source and the system-wide disruption indicate severe financial and reputational harm. The incident aligns with a ransomware-driven attack targeting operational continuity and data integrity, with cascading effects on tribal services and public trust.

Source: https://cdcgaming.com/brief/michigan-tribe-offers-free-id-protection-to-customers-affected-by-data-breach/

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/sault-tribe-of-chippewa-indian

"id": "sau0602406091025",
"linkid": "sault-tribe-of-chippewa-indian",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "2/2025",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "6",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the economy of geographical region"

{'affected_entities': [{'industry': ['Gaming',
                                     'Hospitality',
                                     'Government Services'],
                        'location': 'Upper Peninsula, Michigan, USA',
                        'name': 'Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians',
                        'type': 'Tribal Government'},
                       {'industry': 'Gaming & Hospitality',
                        'location': 'Upper Peninsula, Michigan, USA',
                        'name': 'Kewadin Casinos (5 locations)',
                        'type': 'Casino'}],
 'customer_advisories': ['Free identity protection services offered to '
                         'affected individuals'],
 'data_breach': {'data_encryption': True,
                 'data_exfiltration': True,
                 'personally_identifiable_information': True},
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2024-02-11',
 'description': 'The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians experienced a '
                'data breach and ransomware attack in February, leading to the '
                'closure of all five Kewadin Casinos for two to three weeks. '
                'The breach affected multiple tribal departments, including '
                'gaming operations, computer systems, and phone systems. The '
                'tribe did not pay the ransom demanded by hackers and is '
                'offering free identity protection services to those affected.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': True,
            'downtime': '2 to 3 weeks (Kewadin Casinos closure)',
            'identity_theft_risk': True,
            'operational_impact': 'Closure of all five Kewadin Casinos, phased '
                                  're-opening process',
            'systems_affected': ['Gaming Operations',
                                 'Computer Systems',
                                 'Phone Systems']},
 'ransomware': {'data_encryption': True,
                'data_exfiltration': True,
                'ransom_demanded': True},
 'references': [{'source': 'Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Website '
                           'Announcement'}],
 'response': {'communication_strategy': ['Public announcement on website',
                                         'Disclosure of compromised data '
                                         'details'],
              'containment_measures': ['Closure of all five Kewadin Casinos'],
              'incident_response_plan_activated': True,
              'recovery_measures': ['Phased re-opening of casinos',
                                    'Offering free identity protection '
                                    'services to affected individuals']},
 'stakeholder_advisories': ['Free identity protection services offered to '
                            'affected individuals'],
 'title': 'Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Data Breach and '
          'Ransomware Attack',
 'type': ['Data Breach', 'Ransomware Attack']}