Philly Daily Newspapers Apparent Cyberattack Victims

The Philadelphia Inquirer and outside cybersecurity experts continued Sunday to scramble to restore systems after an apparent cyberattack disrupted operations over the weekend.

The Inquirer had been unable to print its regular Sunday newspaper, and it was not clear until late Sunday afternoon that it would be possible to print Monday’s editions of The Inquirer and Daily News newspapers. Online posting and updating of stories to Inquirer.com continued, though sometimes slower than normal.

It was unclear when systems would be fully restored, and Inquirer publisher Lisa Hughes said in response to emailed questions that “we are currently unable to provide an exact time line.” The incident was the greatest publication disruption to Pennsylvania’s largest news organization since the blizzard of Jan. 7-8, 1996, and it came just days before Tuesday’s mayoral primary election.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as we work to fully restore systems and complete this investigation as soon as possible,” Hughes said in the emailed answers through a spokesperson. “We will keep our employees and readers informed as we learn more.”

Employees would not be allowed into The Inquirer’s offices through at least Tuesday because of the ongoing disruptions, Hughes said in an internal email update Sunday night. She said the company was “looking into coworking space for Tuesday,” meaning Inquirer journalists would be unable to use their newsroom on election night. However, Hughes said that the situation won’t affect coverage.

Hughes responded to some questions sent by email to a spokesperson but said the ongoing investigation prevented her from answering many detailed questions, including who was behind the incident or what motivations they had; whether they had successfully breached Inquirer systems; which systems were involved; whether The Inquirer or any employees appeared to be specifically targeted; and whether any confidential information of employees or subscribers was accessed. She vowed to “notify and support” anyone whose personal data may have been affected.