The publication of the newspaper The Cross resumed on Wednesday, September 11, 2024 after being suspended the day before due to a “ransomware” cyberattack against its parent company, the Bayard group, AFP learned from internal sources.
An impact on “print”
In a press release, Bayard, who also publishes The Pilgrim and youth titles (Astrapi, Okapi…), had indicated that it had been targeted on Sunday, September 8 by a “ransomware-type cyberattack, affecting part of its IT systems and therefore its activities, impacting the publication of some of its titles including La Croix, their marketing and their management.”
The attack thus prevented the publication of La Croix on Tuesday, September 10, the daily newspaper indicated on its website in a message which has since been deleted.
Back to normal
Contacted by AFP, a spokesperson for the Bayard group indicated that publication of the newspaper had been able to resume on Wednesday, without giving further details. “The newspaper was published normally this (Wednesday) morning and the site is also functioning normally,” a manager of the editorial staff confirmed to AFP. “All of our editorial tools are operational.”
Contacted by AFP, the National Agency for the Security of Information Systems (ANSSI) did not wish to comment, indicating that it would not comment on “potential ongoing or past cyberattacks.”
Our “Cyberattack” file
Ransomware attacks exploit security vulnerabilities in an organization or individual to encrypt and lock up their computer systems, demanding payment to unlock them.