Cyberattack From Outside US Disrupts Distribution of LA Times, Other Papers

What was initially described as a computer virus and subsequently as an organized cyberattack led to delays in the printing and deliveries of the Saturday edition of the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun and several other major newspapers that operate on a shared production platform as they all were — and some still are — part of Tribune Publishing. Also disrupted was distribution of the West Coast editions of the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, which are all printed at the Los Angeles Times’ Olympic printing plant in downtown Los Angeles.

According to the Los Angeles Times, which reported on the incident, the cyberattack appeared to have originated from outside the United States.

“Every market across the company was impacted,” Marisa Kollias, spokeswoman for Tribune Publishing, told the Times. The company’s publications include the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, Annapolis Capital-Gazette, Hartford Courant, New York Daily News, Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel. The incident is being investigated.

According to sources cited by the Times, the attack appeared to be in the form of “Ryuk” ransomware. In September, the Port of San Diego was hit by a similar attack.