Philadelphia Inquirer struck by cyberattack

Philadelphia’s daily newspaper has informed its readers about a cyberattack that affected more than 25,000 of its readers.

The notice to affected clients on April 29th stated that an unauthorized party gained access to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s systems, and certain files with user information were viewed and copied. The Office of the Maine Attorney General states that 25,549 people were affected by the breach.

According to the internal investigation, the attack happened between May 11th and May 13th, 2023. Threat actors acquired the personal information of the newspaper’s readers, including financial account numbers and credit/debit card numbers, in combination with the security code, access code, password, or PIN for the account.

The newspaper states that there is no evidence that customer information has been misused for identity theft or fraud as a result of the incident.

The Inquirer urged its readers to remain vigilant against potential identity theft and fraud by reviewing account statements and monitoring free credit reports for suspicious activity. To mitigate the possible risks, the newspaper has offered affected individuals free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services for 24 months.

The Philadelphia Inquirer is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its daily circulation is more than 60,000 copies. Founded in 1829, it is the third-longest continuously operating daily newspaper in the US.