Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Suspected Chinese hackers hit News Corp with 'persistent cyberattack'

Suspected Chinese hackers hit News Corp with 'persistent cyberattack'

News Corp suffered a "persistent cyberattack," the company said Friday, and investigators believe Chinese spies may be responsible.

Dozens of journalists at the News Corp-owned Wall Street Journal were targeted in the hack, which appeared to focus on reporters and editors covering China-related issues, two people familiar with the matter told CNN.

Cybersecurity firm Mandiant (MNDT), which News Corp (NWS) hired to investigate the breach, believes the hackers are "likely involved in espionage activities to collect intelligence to benefit China's interests," said David Wong, vice president of consulting at Mandiant.

The intrusion, which appeared to date to at least February 2020, compromised email accounts and Google Drive documents used by certain Wall Street Journal journalists, one of the people familiar with the investigation said. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the timeline of the hack.

Journalists are frequent targets of various state-backed hackers in search of intelligence on governments and corporations. For this reason, many journalists do not mention sensitive information over email.

Wall Street Journal management held a series of briefings on Thursday with the journalists affected by the hack, the two sources familiar with the investigation said. Journal staff are going through forensic data to determine what information was taken from individual journalists, one of those people said.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said he was unfamiliar with the incident. "China firmly opposes and combats cyber attacks and cyber theft in all forms," Liu claimed.

FBI Director Christopher Wray this week accused China of having a "massive, sophisticated hacking program that is bigger than those of every other major nation combined."

News Corp spokesperson James Kennedy declined to comment on how many journalists were affected or other undisclosed details of the investigation.

Kennedy instead shared an email that News Corp's security team sent to employees on Friday that said the hack affected "a limited number of business email accounts and documents" from News Corp headquarters, as well as News Corp properties such as Dow Jones and The New York Post.

"Our highest concern is the protection of our employees, including our journalists, and their sources," the email says, adding that investigators think the hack has been contained.

The incident did not appear to affect systems holding customer and financial data, News Corp said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Runa Sandvik, former senior director for information security at The New York Times, said the goal in defending organizations, including news networks, against advanced hackers should be limiting the systems the hackers access and the amount of time they have access to them.

"Over the years, media organizations have definitely put more focus on security within their company, including for newsrooms specifically," Sandvik, who is a cybersecurity consultant for Radio Free Europe and other media outlets, told CNN. "I think there absolutely is room for improvement."

News Corp said it would share information about the hack with other news organizations so they can protect themselves.

Journalists have had to contend with hacking threats for years.

Nearly a decade ago, suspected Chinese hackers infiltrated computer systems at The New York Times as journalists at the paper were concluding an investigation into the wealth of relatives of then-Chinese premier Wen Jiabao, The Times reported then.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
×