German newspaper ‘Heilbronn Stimme’ published today’s 28-page issue in e-paper form after a Friday ransomware attack crippled its printing systems.
On Saturday, the newspaper issued an “emergency” six-page edition while all planned obituaries were posted on the website. Phone and email communication remained offline during the weekend.
The regional publication has a circulation of about 75,000 copies, but due to printing issues has temporarily lifted the paywall from its website, which counts approximately 2 million visitors per month.
Editor-in-chief Uwe Ralf Heer said that the attack impacted the entire Stimme Mediengruppe media group, which includes the companies ‘Pressedruck’, ‘Echo’, and ‘RegioMail.’
Echo, which circulates 254,000 copies, was also affected by the cyberattack, and there were issues accessing its e-paper on the website. The online news portal Echo24.de, however, continues operations as normal.
Heer states that the attack was conducted by a well-known cybercriminal group that encrypted their systems on Friday night and left ransom notes behind. However, as of Saturday afternoon, no specific ransom demands have been made.
