Wednesday, December 29, 2021
Publisher is looking for an emergency solution
Hackers paralyze Norwegian publisher
Norway’s second largest media group is currently unable to produce newspapers due to a cyber attack. It will “take a long time” before the systems are up and running again. But the publisher is not unsettled by this and rules out a ransom payment.
Norway’s second largest media group, Amedia, has been paralyzed after a cyber attack. The publisher announced that he has not been able to produce any print editions of his newspapers since this Wednesday and for an indefinite period.
According to Amedia’s IT manager Pal Nedregotten, it is a classic “ransomware attack” in which hackers encrypt the computer systems in order to extort money for the release of the data. Amedia will not get involved, Nedregotten told the public broadcaster NRK. Rather, the publisher is looking for an emergency solution in order to be able to print the newspapers again. However, it will “take quite a while” until the systems are completely restored.
According to the group, online spending is not affected by the attack. Amedia specializes in local and regional newspapers and owns around a hundred titles. The group also owns large newspaper printing plants in Russia, but no Russian newspapers of their own. The statement did not make it clear whether the Russian business was also affected by the cyber attack.