A ransomware attack forced publishing giant Macmillan to shuts down its systems

A cyber attack forced the American publishing giant Macmillan to shut down its IT systems. 

The publishing giant Macmillan has been hit by a cyberattack that forced the company to shut down its IT infrastructure to prevent the threat from spreading within its network.

The company spokesman Erin Coffey told different media outlets that attackers have encrypted certain files on the Macmillan network. This info leads the experts into believing that the company was the victim of a ransomware attack, but at this time it has yet to be claimed by any ransomware gangs.

The attack took place on June 25, the security breach also impacted the U.K. branch Pan Macmillan, it is still unclear if the company was also the victim of a data breach.

“As a precautionary measure, we immediately took systems offline to prevent further impact to our network,” Coffey said. “We are working diligently with specialists to investigate the source of this issue, understand its impact on our systems, and to restore full functionality to our networks as soon as possible.

Macmillan is investigating the incident, the company also closed its virtual and physical offices in New York.

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Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, ransomware)