{"id":597987,"date":"2023-01-16T05:50:30","date_gmt":"2023-01-16T11:50:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sellorbuyhomefast.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/16\/guardian-confirms-christmas-2022-cyber-attack-was-ransomware\/"},"modified":"2023-01-16T05:50:30","modified_gmt":"2023-01-16T11:50:30","slug":"guardian-confirms-christmas-2022-cyber-attack-was-ransomware","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/16\/guardian-confirms-christmas-2022-cyber-attack-was-ransomware\/","title":{"rendered":"Guardian confirms Christmas 2022 cyber attack was ransomware"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero Images\/Newspapers-print-publicaton-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" data-credit=\"BillionPhotos.com - stock.adobe.\"  width=\"520\" height=\"173\" alt><\/p>\n<p>BillionPhotos.com &#8211; stock.adobe.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"content-header\">\n<h2>Guardian Media Group bosses confirm the 20 December cyber attack that left staff locked out of its London office and disrupted several key systems was an untargeted ransomware attack<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"content-center\">\n<ul>\n<li><i data-icon=\"1\"><\/i><\/li>\n<li><i data-icon=\"2\"><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"contributors-block\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Alex-Scroxton-CW-Contributor-2022.jpg\" alt=\"Alex Scroxton\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.techtarget.com\/contributor\/Alex-Scroxton\">Alex Scroxton,<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Security Editor<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n\tPublished: <span>12 Jan 2023 9:30<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"content-body\">\n<p>Guardian Media Group (GMG), the parent organisation of the UK\u2019s <em>Guardian<\/em> newspaper, has confirmed that the 20 December cyber attack on its systems \u2013 which left staff locked out of its London office and disrupted key systems including print production, payroll and expenses \u2013 was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/2023\/jan\/11\/guardian-confirms-it-was-hit-by-ransomware-attack\">an opportunistic and likely untargeted ransomware attack<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In an email to staff circulated in the afternoon of Wednesday 11 January, GMG chief executive Anna Bateson and <em>Guardian <\/em>editor-in-chief Katharine Viner said that the personal data of UK staff was compromised in the \u201chighly sophisticated\u201d incident, which they believe to have begun via a phishing attack, but said it was not, as some had speculated, related to politically motivated hacktivism.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe believe this was a criminal ransomware attack, and not the specific targeting of the <em>Guardian<\/em> as a media organisation,\u201d they said. \u201cThese attacks have become more frequent and sophisticated in the past three years, against organisations of all sizes, and kinds, in all countries.\u00a0We have seen no evidence that any data has been exposed online thus far and we continue to monitor this very closely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bateson and Viner added that there was no evidence to suggest that any reader or subscriber data, nor any data on the organisation\u2019s Australian or US-based workforce, was accessed. Nor is it thought, at this stage, that any of the data that was compromised has been leaked.<\/p>\n<p>The organisation has been working with third-party cyber forensics and other investigators to restore the affected systems.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252528896\/Fallout-from-Guardian-cyber-attack-to-last-at-least-a-month\">Having previously told staff to work from home until at least Monday 23 January<\/a>, it has now pushed back the return to its Kings Cross office back until early February to enable its IT and security teams to better focus on the recovery efforts.<\/p>\n<p>GMG did not attribute the attack to any known ransomware operation, nor did it say whether or not it has engaged with its attackers or paid a ransom \u2013 a tactic that is in general highly inadvisable.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.egnyte.com\/\">Egnyte<\/a> cyber security director Neil Jones praised GMG for being more upfront about its experience than many others.<\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThe<\/span> recent ransomware attack at the<em> Guardian<\/em> is obviously unfortunate, but <span>the<\/span> attack does have an unprecedented silver lining. This is <span>the<\/span> first time I can ever remember an organisation acknowledging an attack immediately, even providing updates about it on its own website,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are several key lessons that can be learned from this incident: organisations need to combine ransomware detection and recovery solutions with effective data recovery programmes; companies need to have incident response plans in place, to effectively notify their customers, employees, business partners and the news media of potential breaches; and during these dynamic times, routine technological audits need to occur on a more frequent basis than they did before to prevent vulnerabilities from being exploited.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"DigDeeperSplash\">\n<h4>\n\t\t\t<i data-icon=\"m\"><\/i>Read more on Data breach incident management and recovery<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252529132\/Companies-warned-to-step-up-cyber-security-to-become-insurable\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/German\/article\/cyber-insurance-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/German\/article\/cyber-insurance-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/German\/article\/cyber-insurance-adobe.jpg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>Companies warned to step up cyber security to become \u2018insurable\u2019<\/h5>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Bill-Goodwin-CW-contributor-2022-140x180px.jpg\" alt=\"BillGoodwin\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By: <span>Bill\u00a0Goodwin<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252529095\/Royal-Mail-overseas-services-hit-by-major-cyber-attack\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero Images\/parcels-delivery-online-shopping-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/parcels-delivery-online-shopping-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/parcels-delivery-online-shopping-adobe.jpeg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>Royal Mail services hit by major cyber attack<\/h5>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Alex-Scroxton-CW-Contributor-2022.jpg\" alt=\"AlexScroxton\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By: <span>Alex\u00a0Scroxton<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252528896\/Fallout-from-Guardian-cyber-attack-to-last-at-least-a-month\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero Images\/Newspapers-print-publicaton-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/Newspapers-print-publicaton-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/Newspapers-print-publicaton-adobe.jpg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>Fallout from Guardian cyber attack to last at least a month<\/h5>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Alex-Scroxton-CW-Contributor-2022.jpg\" alt=\"AlexScroxton\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By: <span>Alex\u00a0Scroxton<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/feature\/Ransomware-Practical-tips-to-improve-resiliency\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/rms\/onlineimages\/ransom_g1259800910_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/rms\/onlineimages\/ransom_g1259800910_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/rms\/onlineimages\/ransom_g1259800910.jpg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>Ransomware: Practical tips to improve resiliency<\/h5>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Cliff-Saran-Sep-2022-140x180px.jpg\" alt=\"CliffSaran\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By: <span>Cliff\u00a0Saran<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252529098\/Guardian-confirms-Christmas-2022-cyber-attack-was-ransomware\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><br \/>\n Diego Fleishman<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BillionPhotos.com &#8211; stock.adobe. Guardian Media Group bosses confirm the 20 December cyber attack that left staff locked out of its London office and disrupted several key systems was an untargeted ransomware attack By Alex Scroxton, Security Editor Published: 12 Jan 2023 9:30 Guardian Media Group (GMG), the parent organisation of the UK\u2019s Guardian newspaper, has<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":597988,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2548,30090,46],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-597987","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-confirms","8":"category-guardian","9":"category-technology"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=597987"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597987\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/597988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=597987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=597987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=597987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}