Hacker group publishes stolen Swiss media data

The Swiss newspaper was the victim of a cyber-attack by the hacker group "Play" on March 24. © Keystone

The hacker group “Play” has made good on its threat and published stolen data from the Swiss newspaper group Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) on the darknet. According to the NZZ, this also includes employee data.

On Thursday, it was reported that the hackers had published around 500 gigabytes of stolen data from the NZZ group. The data includes employee information, although it is currently unclear whether customer data has also been compromised.

The NZZ was the victim of a cyber-attack by the ransomware group “Play” on March 24, which also impacted the ability of some newspapers to publish full editions. The hacker group demanded payment of a ransom, which the NZZ refused to pay.

In addition to the NZZ, media group CH Media was also affected by the attack, with data from delivery organizations already having been leaked on the darknet.

On May 3, CH Media confirmedExternal link that data had been published, saying, “initial analyses show that the data is from our delivery organisations”. The media group publishes regional papers such as the Aargauer Zeitung and the Luzerner Zeitung.

The attack highlights the growing threat of ransomware attacks on businesses and organisations.

News