Newsquest Sites Hit by Major Virus Attack – Hundreds of Thousands Affected
Hundreds of thousands of visitors to Newsquest’s local news websites have been hit by a nasty virus, we can reveal. Users trying to access a host of Newsquest titles have had their phones and browsers hijacked. Instead of news, they’re greeted with a “Thank you for your loyalty” message following a major security breach.
Browser Hijack Sends Users to Fake Prize Sites
The virus takes over users’ browsers, redirecting them to unrelated prize websites promising fake giveaways. The only way to regain control is by closing their browser or rebooting their device. The hacking nightmare kicked off on Thursday morning, just hours before Newsquest was due to release its latest readership figures.
Security Breach Hits Most of Newsquest’s 218 Titles
Tech teams are scrambling to track down the security flaw causing the breach. It’s understood almost all 218 Newsquest titles have been affected. The hack is hitting the company where it hurts – with a loss of ad revenue as infected sites can’t serve adverts properly.
Company bosses are asking some tough questions about how this breach happened. An insider said Newsquest had invested heavily in firewalls, leaving them red-faced over the failure.
Newsquest Denies Data Breach, Downplays Scale
Newsquest has not confirmed if any user data was compromised. Julian Thorpe, Editorial Product Manager at Newsquest Digital, slammed claims of “hundreds of thousands” affected as inaccurate. He also denied the sites were hijacked, despite mounting complaints on social media.
The company admits it is aware of the problem but refuses to disclose what is causing it or whether it involves a data breach.
