Hackers Linked to China Attack Parent Company of Wall Street Journal, NY Post

The parent company of the New York Post and The Wall Street Journal was the victim of a cyberattack linked to China, the WSJ reported Friday.

Media conglomerate News Corp was hacked in an attack discovered on Jan. 20, the WSJ reported, with emails and documents of journalists and other employees compromised by the intrusion. Cyber security firm Mandiant, whom the company hired to investigate the hack, said the hack was likely linked to actors working on behalf of Chinese intelligence, the WSJ reported.

“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, vice president of incident response at Mandiant, told the WSJ.

News Corp disclosed the hack in a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing Friday, and the company said it had informed the relevant authorities.

“The Company’s preliminary analysis indicates that foreign government involvement may be associated with this activity, and that data was taken,” the filing read. “To the Company’s knowledge, its systems housing customer and financial data were not affected.”

The announcement of the cyberattack follows a speech made by FBI Director Christopher Wray in which he warned of the increasing threat of Chinese hacks and cyberattacks on American institutions.

“No country … presents a broader threat to our ideas, innovation, and economic security than China,” Wray said.

News Corp did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.