Norwegian media can no longer publish its newspapers affected by ransomware

Amedia, the second largest media group in Norway, is currently targeted by ransomware. The group is paralyzed, so much so that it is no longer able to publish the print editions of its many local newspapers.

Ransomware hits Norwegian media

After revealing that he had been the target of a serious computer attack, Amedia let it be known that the perpetrators were demanding a ransom to restore control of the hacked servers. “This is a very classic ransomware attack, where intruders have invaded part of our servers, encrypted our data and left a business card that typically leads to a ransom note”, said group IT director Pål Nedregotten. “We are not going to open a dialogue in this direction”, does he have affirmed on the NRK public broadcaster.

The attack, which occurred overnight Monday through Tuesday, does not affect the group’s online editions, but prevents publication of the print editions. Amedia is currently working on a fallback solution to be able to reprint its newspapers, management explained at a press conference. The group was unable to publish its print journals yesterday. However, he managed to publish some of them today. But there is still work to be done to get back to normal.

The second largest media group in Norway behind leader Schibsted, the company specializes in local and regional press. The group also owns major press printing houses in Russia, but no newspaper. Amedia has not been disrupting its Russian business.