Lee Enterprises
Disclosed Feb 7, 20251 year ago39,779 affectedConfirmed
Qilin ransomware attack cripples Lee newspapers, exposes staff SSNs
A February ransomware attack claimed by Qilin encrypted critical systems at newspaper publisher Lee Enterprises, disrupting printing at dozens of outlets for weeks; Lee later told Maine's attorney general that data of 39,779 people, mostly employees, was stolen.
What is known
| People affected | 39,779 (as reported by the organization) |
|---|---|
| Disclosed | Feb 7, 2025 |
| Discovered | May 28, 2025 |
| Happened | Feb 3, 2025 |
| Attack | Ransomware |
| Data exposed | Names, Social Security numbers, Employment |
| Sector | Media · US |
| Status | Confirmed |
Sources
| Source | |
|---|---|
| California Attorney General breach notice: Lee Enterprisesoag.ca.gov · Official notice | Official notice |
| Oregon DOJ breach notice: Lee Enterprisesjustice.oregon.gov · Official notice | Official notice |
| LEE ENTERPRISES, Inc Form 8-K/A, Item 1.05 (2025-03-06)sec.gov · SEC filing | SEC filing |
| LEE ENTERPRISES, Inc Form 8-K, Item 1.05 (2025-02-18)sec.gov · SEC filing | SEC filing |
| Media giant Lee Enterprises confirms cyberattack as news outlets report ongoing disruptiontechcrunch.com · News | News |
| Data breach at newspaper giant Lee Enterprises affects 40,000 peopletechcrunch.com · News | News |
| Vermont Attorney General: 2025-06-03 Lee Enterprises Data Breach Notice to Consumersago.vermont.gov · Official notice | Official notice |
Notices filed
| Where | Filed | People |
|---|---|---|
| Researchtotal | Feb 7, 2025 | 39,779 |
| SEC 8-Ktotal | Feb 18, 2025 | |
| SEC 8-Ktotal | Mar 6, 2025 | |
| Vermont AGresidents of VT | Jun 3, 2025 | |
| California AGresidents of CA | Jun 4, 2025 | |
| Oregon DOJresidents of OR | Jun 4, 2025 | 39,779 |
History of this record
- 2026-09-25 · source: empty to https://ago.vermont.gov/document/2025-06-03-lee-enterprises-data-breach-notice-consumers · backfill source
- 2026-09-25 · sector: other to media · seed source
- 2026-09-25 · attack: unknown to ransomware · seed source
- 2026-09-25 · data_types: [] to ["names","ssn","employment"] · seed source
- 2026-09-25 · records_basis: empty to organization · seed source
- 2026-09-25 · records: empty to 39779 · seed source
- 2026-09-25 · disclosed: 2025-02-18 to 2025-02-07 · seed source
- 2026-09-25 · summary: empty to A February ransomware attack claimed by Qilin encrypted critical systems at newspaper publisher Lee Enterprises, disrupting printing at dozens of outlets for weeks; Lee later told Maine's attorney general that data of 39,779 people, mostly · seed source
- 2026-09-25 · title: Updated SEC filing on a material cybersecurity incident to Qilin ransomware attack cripples Lee newspapers, exposes staff SSNs · seed source
- 2026-09-25 · disclosed: 2025-03-06 to 2025-02-18 · backfill source
- 2026-09-25 · disclosed: 2025-06-04 to 2025-03-06 · backfill source
- 2026-09-25 · title: empty to Updated SEC filing on a material cybersecurity incident · backfill source
- 2026-09-25 · discovered: empty to 2025-05-28 · backfill source
- 2026-09-25 · added · backfill source
First seen 2026-09-25 (California AG), confirmed by California AG. Record counts are as reported. Not legal advice.