News Corp said Friday it suffered a cyberattack in January affecting its journalists and other employees, and investigators think the hackers gathered intelligence to benefit China.
The Wall Street Journal reported it was among those affected by the attack, which News Corp disclosed in its quarterly report filed to the Securities and Exchange Commission. According to the newspaper, the attack was discovered on Jan. 20, and affected journalists and other employees at its publication; its parent Dow Jones; the New York Post; the company’s news operation in the U.K.; and News Corp. headquarters.
In its filing to the SEC, News Corp said its preliminary analysis showed data was taken and a foreign government was possibly involved. The private cybersecurity firm Mandiant, which was hired to help investigate the breach, is pointing its finger toward China.
“Mandiant assesses that those behind this activity have a China nexus, and we believe they are likely involved in espionage activities to collect intelligence to benefit China’s interests,” David Wong, Mandiant vice president, said in a statement.
News Corp told the SEC it is not aware of the “persistent cyberattack activity” affecting any customer or financial data and said the company has not experienced any business operations or systems interruptions. The Journal reported News Corp notified law enforcement alongside hiring Mandiant.
“There is no assurance that cybersecurity threats or activity such as that discovered in January 2022 will not have a material adverse effect in the future,” read News Corp’s filing to SEC.
The company said it and its vendors adopted countermeasures to protect personal data, business information and other confidential information. It also took steps to prevent future security breaches, according to the filing.
Allegations that China-based hackers are attacking prominent U.S.-based news organizations are not new. In 2013, the New York Times reported that Chinese hackers targeted its reporters and employees over four months and infiltrated the publication’s computer systems.
Earlier this week, FBI Director Christopher Wray said Chinese cybercriminals had targeted American companies and that China’s intelligence services and affiliated hackers worked as part of a technology theft program larger than that of all other foreign adversaries combined.
The FBI separately published a warning saying nation-state hackers may launch cyberattacks targeting the Beijing Olympic Games. The FBI’s alert noted that Olympic participants and those traveling to the games should be wary of using mobile apps in China because the apps could be used to steal information, track people, and install malware.
“The FBI urges all athletes to keep their personal cellphones at home and use a temporary phone while at the Games,” the FBI warning said.