Hackers disrupted the newspaper production of Heilbronn Stimme

A ransomware campaign has crippled the printing system of a German newspaper company called Heilbronn Stimme. The attack blocked the production of the daily newspaper and forced the company to distribute the issue as an internet newspaper.

The publication company has a daily production of approximately 70,000 copies. However, the attack caused a massive printing issue that temporarily delayed the paywall from its site. The impacted company’s editor-in-chief stated that the attack severely affected the entire media group, which includes several other companies such as RegioMail, Echo, and Pressedruck.

Echo produces over 250,000 copies, impacted by the cyberattack and compromised access to its e-paper displayed on its website. Fortunately, its online news portal dubbed Echo24[.]de continues its operations.

 

A Heilbronn Stimme spokesperson revealed that a notorious threat group initiated the attack.

 

According to the Heilbronn Stimme’s editor-in-chief, the attack was executed by a well-known threat group that encrypted its systems last week. Subsequently, the group left behind ransom notes with no demands.

The affected company has mandated its newspaper editors that should work from home on their personal computers. In addition, the company gave them new email addresses for security reasons.

The media group is cooperating with authorities to find ways to resolve the incident and try to identify the culprits of the attack. Other experts were also seen aiding some parts of the affected company after high-profile personnel requested assistance.

The company said they are diligently working with law enforcement agencies, data protection providers, and external experts to perform the mitigation and detection tasks as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, the companies cannot ensure that they can produce a new set of newspapers every day for the foreseeable future. Heilbronn Stimme stated that if the printing systems returned to their regular operation, they would ensure that their newspaper distribution would return to normal.

The current delay will also affect all distributing companies affiliated with the Heilbronn Stimme since most depend on the newspaper provided by the breached entity.