Ransomware attack hits Sinclair stations

HUNT VALLEY, Md. — A ransomware attack targeted Sinclair Broadcast Group (NASDAQ: SBGI) over the weekend.

On Saturday, Sinclair officials would identify and investigate what they considered a “potential security incident.”

Officials would provide an update Sunday stating that certain servers and workstations suffered a ransomware attack. Moreover, certain office and operational networks were experiencing disruptions. Data was also taken from the company’s network.

As a result, Sinclair markets, including three in Illinois and two in Missouri, could not run local commercial inventory during national programming. This also includes the inability to insert them during NFL broadcasts. This technical issue is ongoing, as they continue to restore things.

Among those stations affected are a combined eight stations in Illinois and one in Missouri. WICS in Springfield, KHQA out of Quincy, and WHOI in Peoria were among the Illinois stations being affected. KDNL in St. Louis and KTVO in Kirksville are the Missouri stations.

After detecting the security event, senior management received notifications. Management would implement their incident response plan to take measures in containing the incident.

They would conduct an investigation, including a cybersecurity forensic firm while notifying law enforcement and other agencies. The forensic investigation is ongoing.

The company is working on fully restoring operations, according to officials. Additionally, they are working on determining what information the missing data contained, taking further action as appropriate.

Officials could not determine if the event will have a material impact on its business, operations, or financial results.

What was certain Monday is the news was concerning to shareholders. As a result, SBGI stock fell 80 cents on the news to $26.39 a share at market close. Depending on how long the outage takes, it could continue to fall.