UK's Guardian confirms ransomware attack compromised staff data

(Image Courtesy: The Guardian)

The UK's Guardian Media Group has confirmed that it was the victim of a ransomware attack in December and the incident was a "highly sophisticated cyber-attack involving unauthorised third-party access" to parts of the publication's network.

In December 2022, The Guardian said it was "hit by a serious IT incident" that "affected parts of the company’s technology infrastructure".

Guardian Media Group's editor-in-chief Katharine Viner and chief executive Anna Bateson have confirmed that it was a ransomware attack triggered by a "phishing" attempt.

Phishing is a way for malicious actors to trick people into downloading malware through the use of email or fake websites.

The newspaper said no personal data of readers or subscribers was accessed. The personal data of UK staff members was infringed upon but the company said that there was "no evidence of data being exposed online".

The Guardian is collaborating with external experts to recover its systems. It said that it expects critical systems to be back up "within the next two weeks". Till then, the staff have been told to work from home with a return to office in early February.