Publishing giant Lee Enterprises reports a major ransomware attack on its network

American newspaper publishing giant Lee Enterprises said the network outage it suffered earlier this month resulted from a ransomware attack that affected its daily operations.

 

Earlier this month, the media giant said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that on February 3, it experienced a technology outage due to a cyber incident that caused operational disruptions. 

 

Lee Enterprises immediately launched an investigation, with assistance from external cyber security experts, to determine the nature and scope of the incident. It also took steps to recover from the incident, and assess the potential impact on its operations, financial condition, and internal controls.

 

In a recent idling with the SEC, the media giant said that the outage resulted from a ransomware attack where “threat actors unlawfully accessed the Company’s network, encrypted critical applications, and exfiltrated certain files.”

 

“The Company is actively conducting forensic analysis to determine whether sensitive data or personally identifiable information (PII) was compromised. At this time, no conclusive evidence has been identified, but the investigation remains ongoing,” reads the SEC filing.

 

Lee Enterprises has notified relevant law enforcement authorities about the incident and will notify other federal and state regulatory bodies, and applicable consumer protection agencies, as needed.

 

“The incident impacted the Company’s operations, including distribution of products, billing, collections, and vendor payments. Distribution of print publications across our portfolio of products experienced delays, and online operations were partially limited. 

 

“As of February 12, 2025, all core products are being distributed in the normal cadence, however weekly and ancillary products have not been restored. These products represent five-percent of the Company’s total operating revenue. The Company anticipates a phased recovery over the next several weeks.

 

“Lee has implemented temporary measures, including manual processing of transactions and alternative distribution channels, to maintain critical business functions while systems are being restored,” the company added.

 

While the company is in the process of evaluating the full scope of the financial impact resulting from the incident, it anticipates that there is a possibility of a material impact on its financial condition or results of operations.