Sinclair Broadcast Group says it suffered a ransomware attack

[David H. Lipman]

Sinclair Broadcast Group says it suffered a ransomware attack and has had data stolen

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Sinclair Broadcast Group, which operates dozens of TV stations across the U.S., said Monday that some of its servers and work stations were encrypted with ransomware and that some of its data was stolen from the company's network.

The company said it started investigating the potential security incident on Saturday and on Sunday it and found that certain office and operational networks were disrupted.

The Hunt Valley, Maryland-based company owns and/or operates 21 regional sports network and owns, operates and/or provides services to 185 television stations in 86 markets.

The broadcast group, which is known for pushing a conservative viewpoint through editorials and reports that it compels its stations to run, did not immediately say how many TV stations were directly affected.

Nashville, Tennessee's WZTV put out a notice on its website Monday about "serious technical issues" at the TV station affecting its ability to stream content.

"We are also currently unable to access our email and your phone calls to the station," it said.

Sinclair said it's taken measures to contain the incident and that its forensic investigation is ongoing. However, the company said that the data breach has caused – and may continue to cause – disruption to parts of its business, including certain aspects of local advertisements by local broadcast stations on behalf of its customers. The company said that it is working diligently to restore operations quickly and securely.