BALTIMORE, Md. — Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns and operates TV stations across the United States, says it was the target of a ransomware attack.
The company says it identified the cybersecurity threat and began taking steps to contain the potential security incident on Saturday.
On Sunday, the company says it discovered certain servers and workstations in its “environment” were encrypted with ransomware, and that certain office and operational networks were disrupted. Data was also taken from the company’s network.
Sinclair says it’s working to determine what information the data contained and it will take other actions as appropriate based on its review.
“The forensic investigation remains ongoing,” the company wrote in a statement Monday.
According to the company, the security incident has caused and may continue to cause disruptions to parts of its business, including certain aspects of its provision of local advertisements by its local broadcast stations on behalf of its customers.
“As the company is in the early stages of its investigation and assessment of the security event, the company cannot determine at this time whether or not such event will have a material impact on its business, operations or financial results,” wrote Sinclair.