(2018-12-30) Malware Attack Disrupts Delivery Of La Times And Tribune Papers Across The Us

Malware attack disrupts delivery of L.A. Times and Tribune newspapers across the U.S. Technology teams worked feverishly to quarantine the computer virus, but it spread through Tribune Publishing’s network and reinfected systems crucial to the news production and printing process. Multiple newspapers around the country were affected because they share a production platform.

The attack delayed distribution of Saturday editions of the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union Tribune. It also stymied distribution of the West Coast editions of the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, which are printed at the Los Angeles Times’ Olympic printing plant in downtown Los Angeles.

The Times and the San Diego paper became aware of the problem near midnight on Thursday

Several individuals with knowledge of the Tribune situation said the attack appeared to be in the form of “Ryuk” ransomware.

In September, the Port of San Diego was hit by a similar attack. That attack came two months after a strike at the Port of Long Beach. It is unclear whether the attacks were related or if the culprits demanded ransom in any of the incidents.