Ransomware attacks seem to be more and more common, and the Gazette-Journal is unfortunately not immune.
This week, the newspaper has been working hard to recover from an attack launched at the file server which contains editorial, graphic composition, printing, and advertising information, over the weekend. A Gazette-Journal employee came upon the attack early Monday morning and attempted to shut it down, but it had gone too far to stop. No customer financial information, which is stored separately, was compromised.
Gazette-Journal IT specialist Keith Forrest has been working day and night to unlock our files and help us get this week’s paper to you. As an additional help, Lee Enterprises in Richmond stood by to print the paper if this became necessary. Fortunately, after restoration of our network service, we are able to print in-house.
Ransomware is malicious software that locks users out of files or systems and demands payment to restore access, according to the FBI. Ransomware was...