Lee Enterprises Cyberattack: US Newspaper Outages Continue

Lee Enterprises Cyberattack Disrupts Operations

Lee Enterprises, a major newspaper publishing company, is currently grappling with a cyberattack that has caused significant disruptions to its business. The incident has now extended into its third week, resulting in ongoing outages.

Investigation and Ransomware Confirmation

According to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Lee Enterprises is undertaking a thorough forensic analysis. This investigation aims to ascertain whether any sensitive or personally identifiable data was compromised during the attack.

The company’s filing details that preliminary investigations reveal unauthorized access to its network. Threat actors reportedly encrypted crucial applications and removed certain files. Lee Enterprises has classified this incident as a ransomware attack.

Expected Recovery Timeline and Impact

The company anticipates that restoring affected systems will take several more weeks. Lee Enterprises has already notified law enforcement authorities regarding the breach.

The cyberattack has impacted various operational facets, including product distribution, billing processes, collections, and vendor payments. Delays have been experienced in the distribution of print publications. Online operations have also faced partial limitations.

Communication and Affected Publications

Tracy Rouch, a spokesperson for Lee Enterprises, has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Lee Enterprises stands as one of the largest newspaper publishers in the United States. It provides publishing and website services to a network of 72 publications nationwide.

Initial Notification and System Access

On February 3, Lee Enterprises informed affected media outlets that a data center hosting applications and services—including those for paying subscribers—was experiencing an outage. This information was conveyed in an email from CEO Kevin Mowbray, as seen by TechCrunch.

Subsequently, customers reported an inability to log in or access essential business applications.

Disruptions to News Printing

Several publications owned by Lee Enterprises continue to experience disruptions to their regular news-printing schedules.

For example, the Winston-Salem Journal, serving North Carolina, was unable to print multiple editions. Similarly, the Albany Democrat-Herald and Corvallis Gazette-Times, both Oregon-based newspapers owned by Lee, faced issues preventing publication of at least two editions until the weekend.

Other Lee Enterprises publications are displaying website messages indicating ongoing maintenance. This maintenance may temporarily restrict access to subscription accounts and the E-edition.

Resources and Financial Implications

The Freedom of the Press Foundation maintains a current list of affected outlets.

Lee Enterprises has stated that the incident is “reasonably likely” to have a significant impact on its financial performance.

Contact Information

Do you have additional information regarding the cyberattack at Lee Enterprises? You can securely contact Zack Whittaker on Signal and WhatsApp at +1 646-755-8849. Documents can also be shared securely with TechCrunch via SecureDrop.