Hackers restrict access to Swiss media titles

Hacking: connection problems for Swiss media Keystone-SDA

A hacker attack has paralysed the OneLog connection platform, compromising the ability of people to access many Swiss media titles.

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The media house Tamedia says it has not been possible to connect via OneLog since Thursday. The problems persisted on Friday afternoon.

+ Hackers publish stolen Swiss media data

Tamedia added that it has managed to make the content of its titles temporarily freely accessible. Other media companies have taken similar measures to guarantee access to their content for subscribers.

Another problem related to the hack is that certain articles can no longer be commented on as usual, as this possibility is also linked to a connection via OneLog.

Launched just over three years ago, the OneLog service is used, according to its own indications, by over 40 online portals, including those of major media companies Tamedia, Ringier and SSR.

Although the German-speaking CH Media and NZZ groups participate in the OneLog joint venture, they have not yet introduced the connection solution. They are therefore not affected by the current problems. The French-speaking ESH and Saint-Paul groups are not part of OneLog.

TX Group silent

According to Tamedia’s press release, OneLog only manages user login data. To the best of our knowledge, no other data is affected or at risk. Tamedia says it is working hard to restore the affected services as quickly as possible, and is also in contact with the authorities.

This is not the first attack on Swiss media companies. The type of cyberattack perpetrated against OneLog is not yet known, but it is possible that connection data was deleted or encrypted as part of a blackmail attempt.

When questioned by the Keystone-ATS news agency, the press office of TX Group, Tamedia’s parent company, declined to provide any further information. It will provide further details as soon as they become available.

Last year, a cyber attack targeted Swiss media companies, including NZZ and CH Media. After an unsuccessful blackmail attempt, the hackers published a large number of documents obtained during the attack. These included employee and customer data.

Translated from French by DeepL/mga

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