Cyberattack Disrupts Operations at Lee Enterprises-Owned Newspapers
Dozens of local newspapers owned by American media company Lee Enterprises have faced operational disruptions following a cyberattack.
Lee Enterprises, which owns approximately 350 weekly and specialty publications across 25 U.S. states, reported the incident last week. Some of its major publications include The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Buffalo News, Omaha World-Herald, Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Lincoln Journal Star.
The company disclosed to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that a “cyber incident” on February 3 led to a technology outage, affecting business applications and disrupting operations.
Impact on Publications and Services
The attack caused multiple issues across Lee-owned publications, impacting printed newspapers, subscriber accounts, and internal services. Some websites, including The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, continued to display outage notifications as of Tuesday morning.
Lee Enterprises has launched an investigation to assess the full extent of the breach and determine whether any data has been compromised. While the company has not provided further details, the severity of the disruptions suggests a potential ransomware attack. However, no known ransomware group has claimed responsibility.
Lee representatives stated that efforts to fully restore systems are underway. The company remains focused on mitigating the impact and ensuring continuity for its publications.
