A group claiming to be “first-class Russian hackers” has defaced numerous local and regional British newspaper websites over the weekend. The attack targeted titles owned by Newsquest Media Group, potentially affecting hundreds of sites. While there is speculation about the origin of the hackers, there is no conclusive evidence to support their claim of being Russian.
The defaced websites featured a breaking news story titled “PERVOKLASSNIY RUSSIAN HACKERS ATTACK,” but no actual text was present in the published article. Instead, it displayed the group’s name in capital letters, a logo, and a byline attributed to “Дэниел Хопкинс” in Cyrillic alphabet, or “Daniel Hopkins” in English. This incident raises concerns about the cybersecurity of local media outlets in the UK, particularly as the country anticipates an upcoming election.
Newsquest Media Group, the second-largest publisher of local newspapers in Britain, owns over 250 local news brands and magazines. Although it is unclear whether all of Newsquest’s titles were affected, the incident underscores the vulnerability of media organizations to cyber attacks. The defacement campaign highlights the ongoing threat posed by hackers to the integrity and security of online news platforms, emphasizing the need for enhanced cybersecurity measures within the media industry.
