Sinclair Broadcast Group Confirms Ransomware Attack

Sinclair Broadcast Group, a media company and provider of local sports and news stations, has been hit with a ransomware attack that affected some servers and workstations, as well as certain office and operational networks.

Sinclair owns and/or operates 21 regional sports network brands; it also owns, operates, and/or provides services to 185 television stations in 86 markets. It owns national networks including Tennis Channel and Stadium, and has TV stations affiliated with all major broadcast networks.

The company identified an attack on Oct. 16 and began to investigate and contain it. On Oct. 17, it determined certain servers and workstations in its environment were encrypted with ransomware, and certain office and operational networks were disrupted. Data was also stolen from Sinclair's network; officials are working to identify which information this data contained.

Upon discovering the attack, Sinclair reports senior management was notified and an incident response plan launched. The company engaged legal counsel, a security forensic firm, and other incident response professionals as part of its response; it also contacted law enforcement and other government agencies. Its forensic investigation is ongoing.

The attack has caused disruption to parts of Sinclair's business "including certain aspects of its provision of local advertisements by its local broadcast stations on behalf of its customers," officials write in a statement. "The company is working diligently to restore operations quickly and securely."

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