A number of US-based newspapers reported suspected cyberattacks that affected their printing and distribution.

In a report by CNN, it said that according to the Los Angeles Times the cyberattack “appears to have originated from outside the United States” quoting “a source with knowledge of the situation.”

Tribune Publishing was certain it detected malware on its servers. From The Guardian’s report, it quoted Marisa Kollias, spokesperson for Tribune, as saying that the virus affected back-office systems used to publish and produce ‘newspapers across our properties’.”

Tribune owns the Chicago Tribune, the Sun, New York Daily News and Orlando Sentinel.

The Baltimore Sun was unable to print its comics and puzzles for the paper’s Saturday print edition.

The distribution of national dailies The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal in the West Coast was affected because “all of the papers rely on the same back-end printing presses.”

So far, details such as the extent of the attack and if personal details of subscribers have been compromised. Only Kollias assured Tribune subscribers that there is no evidence that their credit card details were compromised.

“We are aware of reports of a potential cyber incident affecting several news outlets, and are working with our government and industry partners to better understand the situation,” said Katie Waldman, spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security.

Image from Pixabay

By Marlet Salazar

Marlet Salazar is a technology writer focusing on cybersecurity. In 2018, driven by her passion for the tech industry, she founded Back End News through bootstrapped funding. She honed her writing skills at the Philippine Daily Inquirer, rising from proofreader to desk editor through the years.

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