A number one British newspaper hit by a ransomware attack last month told staff its offices can be closed for an additional three weeks.
The Guardian – which is headquartered in London with offices in Recent York and Australia – has had staff working remotely because the publisher’s global IT system was hacked on December 20.
Guardian Media Group CEO Anna Bateson circulated a memo on Monday saying all employees must proceed to earn a living from home.
“As previously announced, Guardian’s systems have been severely disrupted on the network,” Bateson told The Post on Tuesday. “We were capable of proceed to publish our journalism in digital and print formats, but many key IT systems were affected.”
The CEO said all offices will probably be closed until at the very least January 23 to “reduce the load” on the corporate’s network because it resolves the difficulty.
![A general view of the offices of the Guardian and Observer newspaper, located near King's Cross, December 12, 2011 in London, England.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/guardian-offices-closed-ransomware-attack-feat-image.jpg?w=1024)
![General view of Guardian Newspaper offices, August 21, 2013 in London, England.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/guardian-offices-closed-ransomware-attack-08.jpg?w=1024)
Ransomware attacks typically involve hackers accessing an organization’s computer system after which installing software that encrypts every document and file they find, turning it right into a secret code. Hackers then demand payment, often in bitcoin, in exchange for an encryption key that restores files.
When was the incident first announced by The Guardian On December 21, Bateson and editor-in-chief Katherine Viner told staff: “As everyone knows, there was a significant incident within the last 24 hours that affected our network and IT systems. We consider it is a ransomware attack, but we’re still evaluating all possibilities.”
They said the Guardian would proceed to publish globally, adding that the attack likely destroyed internal Wi-Fi systems. The newspaper has a circulation of over 100,000 copies and maintains a web site.
![The Guardian said the hack had hit its internal Wi-Fi system and that it would not affect its ability to publish a daily print and digital report.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/guardian-offices-closed-ransomware-attack-05.jpg?w=1024)
News Corp., parent of the Recent York Post, was the goal of a web based attack last February.
“It appears we have been the goal of continued nation-state attacks which have affected a limited variety of our employees,” News Corp’s chief technology officer David Kline and chief information security officer Billy O’Brien wrote in an email to employees. “Mandiant [a cyber tech firm hired to investigate] assesses that those behind this activity have ties to China and believes that they’re likely involved in spying activities geared toward gathering intelligence to profit China’s interests.”
“We won’t tolerate attacks on our journalism, nor will we be discouraged by our reporting, which delivers vital news to readers around the globe,” Kline and O’Brien wrote.