Menominee Casino Resort temporarily closes after cyberattack

KESHENA, Wis. (NBC 26) -- It all started last month when a cyberattack shut down one of the largest oil pipelines in the United States.

Now a local casino has fallen victim to hackers.

"It's kind of scary that your info's out there," Security Supervisor Joey Caldwell said. "That somebody can just hack your computer system and take your identity."

The Menominee Casino Resort confirms it's experiencing technical difficulties following a cyberattack. A statement from the casino said the issues were caused by an "attempted external attack on our computer systems." Tribal Legislature Chairman Gunnar Peters told NBC 26 the security breach happened Friday.

And casino employees like Caldwell say the past few days have been nerve-wracking.

"Our computer system was shut down, so we couldn't open up the gift shop," Caldwell said. "We had to shut that down. We had to shut down the hotel."

Ben Bokun, NBC 26

The casino says it doesn't believe hackers got to any secure information, but Caldwell is still worried about his bank account and social security number.

"Everything's running by that same system and it just crashed," he said. "I thought it crashed, but then they said it was a cyberattack."

Still, the casino reports it will notify guests or workers like Caldwell if their info was stolen.

"The breach was beyond significant, so we had to close," Tribal Chairman Peters told NBC 26.

NBC 26

While the FBI and local police investigate who and why someone committed the cyberattack, Caldwell is waiting to see if his personal information is safe.

"I wouldn't know what I'd have to do [if it was stolen]," Caldwell said. "It'd be crazy."

Casino officials are hoping to reopen by Thursday.