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television station owner Sinclair He said on Monday that a ransomware attack had disrupted his network, interfering with news broadcasts on the company’s 185 stations over the weekend.
According to reports, some news feeds have been pushed to social media platforms, with viewers complaining that they are having trouble watching regularly scheduled shows.
Sinclair said it began investigating a cybersecurity issue on Saturday and discovered on Sunday that ransomware had encrypted certain servers and workstations. The company said data was also stolen from its network.
“While the Company is focused on actively managing this security incident, the incident has caused and may continue to disrupt some parts of the Company’s business, including certain aspects of the delivery of local advertisements by local broadcast stations on its behalf. customers,” Sinclair said in a statement.
Email servers and newsroom systems were victims of the attack, according to tech publication Bleeping Computer, which says some Sinclair stations have resorted to using PowerPoint for graphics in their broadcasts.
Reporters at Sinclair station CBS6 in Albany, New York, used Twitter to direct viewers to a broadcast on Facebook and posted footage of themselves using handwritten notes on Sunday and Monday amid technical issues.
Sinclair is not the first publisher to be hit by a massive ransomware attack. Broadcasting on its radio and television stations in June, Cox Media Group According to reports, it was interrupted by a cyber attack.
Ransomware is on the rise in 2021 and has proven lucrative for cybercriminals who choose high-value targets, including a major target. US fuel provider and major meat producer.
Victims made $590 million in ransomware payments to cyber-attackers during the first six months of 2021, according to data released by the Treasury Department on Friday.
The total value of ransomware payments for the first six months of 2021 exceeds the total amount paid in any year since 2011, according to the Treasury Department.
“If current trends continue, [Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs)] The ransomware-related transaction value of those filed in 2021 is expected to be higher than the sum of SARs filed in the previous 10 years, representing the continued significant upward trend in reported year-over-year ransomware activity.” It reflects better detection and reporting of incidents by covered financial institutions, which may be related to increased awareness of ransomware-related reporting obligations and willingness to report, as well as its general prevalence.”
Sinclair’s stock price fell nearly 2% in intraday trading after the market opened on Monday. Sinclair said 185 television stations operate in 86 markets and have nationwide broadcast networks such as the Tennis Channel and Stadium.
Sinclair It also filed paperwork notifying the Securities and Exchange Commission of the cyberattack that hit its system.
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