Lee Enterprises Faces QILIN Deadline After Reading

3 Mar 2025 6:42 am GMT+0000 Date Time

QILIN Group Claims Responsibility for Cyber Attack on Lee Enterprises
The QILIN group has taken responsibility for the recent cyber attack on the American media company Lee Enterprises. The hackers have claimed that they have stolen confidential data and are threatening to publish it on March 5 unless a ransom is paid. In early February, Lee Enterprises notified the SEC about a serious cyber incident, causing significant disruptions in their operations. The attack led to failures in internal systems, cloud storage, and corporate VPN, affecting employee access to resources. According to a report by Lee Enterprises, the attackers encrypted critical applications and took several files, confirming the use of the Mount Program in the attack. On March 3, QILIN published samples of the stolen data from Lee Enterprises on their website, including scans of personal certificates, financial documents, and other confidential materials. The hackers claimed that the total volume of information stolen was 350 GB, comprising approximately 120,000 files. Lee Enterprises has acknowledged the cyber attack and stated that they are investigating the incident but did not disclose whether they plan to pay the ransom. The hacking announcement by QILIN was reported on BleepingComputer. Lee Enterprises manages 77 daily newspapers and 350 weekly and specialized publications in 26 states. Their total print circulation exceeds 1.2 million copies, with digital platforms attracting over 44 million unique monthly users. In 2023, Group-IB specialists delved into the QILIN group’s internal structure and economic model, shedding light on their operations.

QILIN Group Claims Responsibility for Cyber Attack on Lee Enterprises

The QILIN group has taken responsibility for the recent cyber attack on the American media company Lee Enterprises. The hackers have claimed that they have stolen confidential data and are threatening to publish it on March 5 unless a ransom is paid.

In early February, Lee Enterprises notified the SEC about a serious cyber incident, causing significant disruptions in their operations. The attack led to failures in internal systems, cloud storage, and corporate VPN, affecting employee access to resources. According to a report by Lee Enterprises, the attackers encrypted critical applications and took several files, confirming the use of the Mount Program in the attack.

On March 3, QILIN published samples of the stolen data from Lee Enterprises on their website, including scans of personal certificates, financial documents, and other confidential materials. The hackers claimed that the total volume of information stolen was 350 GB, comprising approximately 120,000 files. Lee Enterprises has acknowledged the cyber attack and stated that they are investigating the incident but did not disclose whether they plan to pay the ransom.

The hacking announcement by QILIN was reported on BleepingComputer.

Lee Enterprises manages 77 daily newspapers and 350 weekly and specialized publications in 26 states. Their total print circulation exceeds 1.2 million copies, with digital platforms attracting over 44 million unique monthly users.

In 2023, Group-IB specialists delved into the QILIN group’s internal structure and economic model, shedding light on their operations.

/Reports, release notes, official announcements.