US-based media company Lee Enterprises has confirmed that it suffered a major cyberattack last week that caused widespread disruption across its newspaper operations. The incident affected business applications, printing, and digital services, forcing the company to take systems offline while investigating the impact.
Newsrooms across the company’s publications experienced difficulties in accessing files and publishing content. Some newspapers reported delays in print editions, while website banners informed subscribers of temporary issues affecting digital access. Employees encountered connectivity problems, with VPNs used for secure remote access rendered inoperative.
Lee Enterprises’ response and investigation
In a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Lee Enterprises confirmed the cyberattack as the cause of the outage and stated that investigations were ongoing. The company is evaluating the extent of the disruption, including potential financial and operational consequences. “On February 3, 2025, the Company experienced a technology outage due to a cyber incident affecting certain business applications, resulting in an operational disruption,” Lee Enterprises stated in the filing.
The company has not disclosed whether it has received any communication from those behind the attack or whether data was compromised. No timeline has been provided for full system recovery. “We are now focused on determining what information – if any – may have been affected by the situation,” a company spokesperson told BleepingComputer. “We are working to complete this investigation as quickly and thoroughly as possible, but these types of investigations are complex and time-consuming, with many taking several weeks or longer to complete. We have notified law enforcement of the situation.”
Lee Enterprises owns 77 daily newspapers and 350 weekly and speciality publications across 26 states, with a daily print circulation exceeding 1.2 million and digital editions reaching over 44 million unique visitors. Publications affected by the attack include the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Omaha World-Herald, the Buffalo News, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Arizona Daily Star, and the Casper Star-Tribune.
Several affected news outlets reported on the incident. The Casper Star-Tribune stated that many of Lee’s newspapers were initially unable to build pages or publish, though the company had since worked to print and deliver back issues. Some news websites warned that the attack could temporarily disrupt subscription access.
This is not the first time Lee Enterprises has been targeted. In 2020, Iranian hackers reportedly infiltrated the company’s content management system as part of a broader disinformation campaign ahead of the US presidential election. The latest cyberattack has once again raised concerns about cybersecurity vulnerabilities within media organisations.
Lee Enterprises has stated that it will not speculate on details that remain under investigation and will not release information that could compromise the ongoing inquiry or law enforcement efforts. Recovery measures are underway as the company continues to assess the situation.
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