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Lee Enterprises, a major newspaper publishing company, has confirmed a significant data breach affecting approximately 40,000 employees. The breach stemmed from a ransomware attack that occurred in February of 2025, which had already caused widespread disruptions to operations at numerous U.S. media outlets. The company confirmed in a letter filed with Maine's attorney general that the personal information of 39,779 people was stolen in the cyberattack, including Social Security numbers.

The stolen data includes sensitive personal information, raising serious concerns about potential identity theft and further cybercrimes. According to letters being sent to the 39,779 affected individuals, the data concerns "certain employees," implying the breach primarily impacts current and former staff members. It's reported that the Iowa-based company confirmed first and last names, as well as social security numbers, were among the data types potentially accessed, although it does not think any of it has been misused.

Qilin, a prolific ransomware gang known for destructive cyberattacks, took credit for the breach. Lee Enterprises has stated they detected the attack on February 3rd, although the unauthorized access to data began two days prior. The company maintains that upon discovering the incident, immediate steps were taken to enhance security and minimize the risk of future occurrences, including notifying the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

ImgSrc: techcrunch.com

References :

• The Register - Security: A short summary of the story.
• techcrunch.com: TechCrunch article on data breach at Lee Enterprises.
• bsky.app: Publishing giant Lee Enterprises is notifying over 39,000 people whose personal information was stolen in a February 2025 ransomware attack.
• Zack Whittaker: Lee Enterprises, the newspaper publishing giant that was hit by a ransomware attack in February, causing widespread disruption to dozens of U.S. media outlets, has confirmed the cyberattack resulted in the theft of ~40,000 employees’ personal data.
• CyberInsider: Ransomware Attack at Lee Enterprises Impacted Nearly 40,000 Individuals
• cyberinsider.com: Ransomware Attack at Lee Enterprises Impacted Nearly 40,000 Individuals
• techcrunch.com: Lee Enterprises, the newspaper publishing giant that was hit by a ransomware attack in February, causing widespread disruption to dozens of U.S. media outlets, has confirmed the cyberattack resulted in the theft of ~40,000 employees’ personal data.
• BleepingComputer: Media giant Lee Enterprises says data breach affects 39,000 people

Classification:

• HashTags: #DataBreach #Ransomware #CyberAttack
• Company: Lee Enterprises
• Target: Lee Enterprises employees
• Feature: Data theft
• Type: DataBreach
• Severity: Major