Richmond Times-Dispatch parent company victim of a cyberattack
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The parent company of the Richmond Times-Dispatch was the victim of a February cybersecurity attack that disrupted operations at the newspaper and dozens of others it owns.
Why it matters: RTD's daily newspaper has been smaller than usual, and omitting some regular features and late-breaking stories, for about a month due to the attack, according to a statement from the paper's new executive editor, Encarnacion Pyle.
The big picture: Lee Enterprises owns dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Roanoke Times and Charlottesville Daily Progress and 10 others in Virginia.
- The attackers accessed Lee's network, files and encrypted applications and managed to disrupt print and online operations across its portfolio, plus billing and vendor payments, the Iowa-based media company wrote in an SEC filing.
The latest: On Thursday, Qilin, a Russia-linked ransomware group, took credit for the attack, according to cybersecurity publications.
- The group said it obtained "investor records, financial arrangements that raise questions, payments to journalists and publishers," and more, per Bleeping Computer.
- Lee has until March 5 to pay an unspecified ransom or Qilin says it will leak the stolen data, per Security Week.
- Qilin was the group behind last year's cyber attack on London hospitals, causing them to cancel hundreds of operations and appointments, the BBC reported.
What they're saying: "We are aware of the claims and are currently investigating them," Tracy Rouch, a spokesperson for Lee Enterprises, tells Axios.
Catch up quick: Lee Enterprises reported " a systems outage caused by a cybersecurity attack" on February 3, per the SEC filing.
- By February 12, Lee's "core products" were back to normal, but weekly and "ancillary products" are still affected.
- There's "no conclusive evidence" that local subscribers' personal information was accessed, per the Richmond story from Pyle.
- Lee is still assessing the full extent of the attack, but noted in its SEC filling that it expects the company to be financially impacted.