It was an ordinary day. Just finished re-reading my story I had posted on October 5 which was titled, "A Crime Against A Newspaper? What's Next?" Story told of the Lancaster County Newspaper being hacked by someone or some organization. Seems like the Lancaster Newspaper was not the only one that was affected by foreign ransomware. The Lancaster Newspaper officials hired a cybersecurity firm and has been working to evaluate the scope and nature of the attack on the company's systems since it was first discovered on September 30. The attack has been described as a "significant criminal act" which has been reported to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. Several newspaper systems have been shut down by the newspaper to avoid the spread of the attack. The newspaper said that customer payment information has not been affected and the company's Internet systems have been shut down to eliminate customer's information from being stolen. I have noticed that my morning newspaper is only about half the size as it usually is and some parts of the paper are entirely missing. I do appreciate that the company is trying their best to keep it's customers informed the best they can. Printing processes such as pagination, layout, advertisement building, photo toning, plate making and control of the press are being done manually to prevent the culprits from interfering more with the production of the daily newspaper as well as the Sunday News. The newspaper IT experts could not talk about the specifics of the attack while an investigation is taking place. The identity of the ransomeware attackers is still unclear, but federal law enforcement have issued warnings in recent weeks about a sophisticated Russian outfit known as Conti. Conti has conducted ransomeware attacks on hundreds of companies, municipalities, police and health care systems by using malicious email attachments, bogus links and other nefarious practices. When the Lancaster Newspaper was attacked they found that the first 48 hours were the hardest to overcome, but the production and press crews have slowly rebuilt some of their capabilities without access to that particular network of computer systems needed to print the newspaper. I noticed that a day or two after not receiving the newspaper, the paper was once again being delivered, but in a much smaller size and format. Seems that the automated systems that were in place to do the layouts, print and distribute the paper had to be changed back to the method used before the paper became totally digital. Many of the processes are now being done manually or through new time-consuming processes. I certainly appreciate all the effort that has been put forth to deliver the newspaper to me every morning. Many processes that were done digitally are now done manually, thus the processes are much slower. The FBI reported earlier this year that Conti was responsible for ransomeware attacks on more than 400 companies, including 290 in the United States. They have demanded as high as $225 million from some companies. Conti employs hackers who attack companies, but it also markets its ransomware tools to independent hackers, who in turn give Conti a share of the ransom.
The Lancaster Newspaper still has no idea how their system was attacked. Attacks such as Lancaster Newspapers has experienced have grown in frequency over the past two years and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in May that the number of ransomeware cases quadrupled in the United States in 2020. One reason they are attacking so many organizations is the fact that those companies that are attacked are too quick to pay the ransom because they're able to get reimbursement through insurance policies. Eventually, insurance companies will not be able to pay the ransom and then what will happen? The Ransomware attackers typically steal or encrypt files, servers and workstations and threaten to sell the information stored on them or publish it online. Some attackers actually offer customer support after receiving their ransom payment. Back in 2018 the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun and Hartford Courant all were hacked while in 2018 Cox Media was hit by a ransomware attack that disrupted several of its TV and radio stations. In June of 2019 the Lancaster Laboratories Eurofins announced they had been attacked which disrupted many of its IT systems in several countries. This past February a cyberattack on nearby Millersville University's computer network exposed the personal information of a handful of people which prompted the University to cancel in-person classes. Millersville immediately shut down its computer systems to prevent the attack from spreading. Millersville consulted with cybersecurity experts and the FBI and decided it would not pay any ransom had it received such a demand. Every time a ransom is paid, it encourages more of the same behavior. But, when you are the business or institution that is threatened, how can you not pay the demands. If you do not pay the ransom, might your business go bankrupt? Tough decision to make. I'm glad I'm not in charge at the Lancaster Newspaper. What would you do? Must be tough sleeping at night! My newspaper is still about half the size it was before the attack, but I do at least have something to read every morning. Life will go on with only half a newspaper! Good luck to all who have to deal with the situation. I'm glad I totally retired this year and will never have problems such as the paper now has to deal with. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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