News Corp, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal, said on Friday it was hacked and stole data from journalists and other employees, and a cybersecurity firm investigating the intrusion said it was believed to be behind Chinese intelligence gathering.
The news company, whose publications and operations include The New York Post and The Wall Street Journal’s parent company Dow Jones, said it discovered the breach on Jan. 20. It said in a regulatory filing that it was conducting an investigation to determine its nature, scope, duration and impact.
So far, customer and financial data has not been affected and the company’s operations have not been disrupted, it said.
But a major problem is the company’s reporters.
News organizations are prime targets for the world’s intelligence agencies because their journalists are often in contact with sources of sensitive information.
Mandiant, the cybersecurity firm that reviewed the hack, said in a statement that it “assessed that those behind the campaign had ties to China and we believe they may have engaged in espionage to gather intelligence for China’s benefit.
It is unclear when the hackers broke into the network or how much data they stole.
News Corp said in an email to employees that the hack “affected a limited number of business email accounts and files from News Corp headquarters, News Technology Services, Dow Jones, UK News and The New York Post.
“Our preliminary analysis indicates that foreign government involvement may be related to this activity, and some data has been obtained,” the email said.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a speech this week that the agency opens investigations into suspected Chinese espionage about every 12 hours, and there are more than 2,000 such investigations. Chinese government hackers have stolen more personal and business data than all other countries combined, he said.
While state-sponsored Russian hacking tends to grab more headlines, U.S. officials say China has been stealing more valuable business and personal data over the past few decades as digital technology spreads.
A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. News Corp.’s assets also include publishing house HarperCollins.
Complete News Source : Business Standard
