Sands websites restored a week after hacking

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Casino giant Las Vegas Sands Corp. has restored its websites a week after they were hacked.

The Las Vegas-based company pulled down its sites Feb. 13 after hackers defaced them with images condemning comments CEO Sheldon Adelson had made about using nuclear weapons on Iran.

Sands restored the websites Monday afternoon. The company first became aware of the hacking on Feb. 12, when company email went down, Sands spokesman Ron Reese said.

The hacking affected Sands' corporate website, as well as the sites for casinos in China, Singapore, Bethlehem, Pa., and the Italian-themed Venetian and Palazzo on the Las Vegas Strip.

Reese didn't say whether internal systems were also operating again. Sands employees regained access to company email on Friday.

Sands is working with the FBI and Secret Service to investigate the cyberattack, and it's also cooperating with state gambling regulators.

Adelson is an outspoken supporter of Israel and a generous donor to U.S. Republican Party campaigns. He spoke in October about dropping a nuclear bomb on Iran, saying strength was the only thing the country understands.

The hackers at one point referred to themselves as the "Anti WMD Team." Cybersecurity experts say it could have taken several months for so-called hacktivists to complete an attack on Sands' networks in response to the comments.

Sands owns the world's largest casino, in the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau.

The company's net income was $2.31 billion last year.

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Hannah Dreier can be reached at http://twitter.com/hannahdreier