The Washington Post has launched an internal investigation after discovering a cyberattack that targeted the email accounts of several of its journalists, Bloomberg reports.
The breach, which was identified late Thursday, has prompted the organization to implement enhanced cybersecurity measures.
According to an internal memo from Executive Editor Matt Murray, reviewed by Bloomberg News, a limited number of email accounts were affected. In response, the company initiated a forced reset of login credentials for all employees on Friday night. A forensic cybersecurity team has been brought in to assess the scope and source of the intrusion.
The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, first reported the incident, suggesting the attack may have been carried out by a foreign government. Journalists covering national security, economic policy, and China were reportedly among those targeted. The compromised accounts were linked to Microsoft’s email system, potentially allowing unauthorized access to sent and received communications.
Neither The Washington Post nor Microsoft have commented publicly on the incident.
This is not the first time the Washington Post has faced cyber threats. The publication has previously been the target of multiple hacking attempts dating back to 2011, with some attributed to state-linked actors.
Journalists are frequent targets of cyberattacks due to their access to confidential information and their broad range of sources. According to reports, the breach appears limited to email systems; the Post’s journalists often rely on encrypted messaging platforms for sensitive communications.
The investigation remains ongoing as the newspaper works to determine the full extent of the breach and prevent future incidents.
