Lee Enterprises, the newspaper publishing giant that was hit by a ransomware attack in February, causing widespread disruption to dozens of U.S. media outlets, has confirmed the cyberattack resulted in the theft of employees’ personal data.
The company confirmed in a letter filed with Maine’s attorney general that the personal information of 39,779 people was stolen in the cyberattack, including Social Security numbers. The data breach mostly affects former and current employees at the company.
Lee is one of the largest newspaper publishers in the U.S., and provides publishing technology and web services to more than 70 publications. The ransomware attack paralyzed newspaper printing, disrupted operations at media outlets across the country for weeks, and affected payments to freelancers and contractors.
Qilin, a prolific ransomware gang known for destructive cyberattacks, took credit for the breach.
A spokesperson for Lee did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication.