The Related Press is warning of a knowledge breach impacting AP Stylebook prospects the place the attackers used the stolen knowledge to conduct focused phishing assaults.
The AP Stylebook is a generally used information on grammar, punctuation, and writing model for journalists, magazines, and newsrooms worldwide.
This week, the Related press warns that an previous third-party-managed AP Stylebook website that was now not in use was hacked between July 16 and July 22, 2023, permitting the info for 224 prospects to be stolen.
The stolen data features a buyer’s title, electronic mail handle, road handle, metropolis, state, zip code, telephone quantity, and Consumer ID. For patrons who entered tax-exempt IDs, corresponding to a Social Safety Quantity or Employer Identification Quantity, these IDs had been stolen as nicely.
The AP says they first discovered of the doable knowledge breach on July 20, 2023, after AP Stylebook prospects reported receiving phishing emails stating they wanted to replace their bank card data.
After studying of the phishing assault, the AP took the previous website and phishing offline to stop additional assaults.
On the finish of July, the corporate started alerting AP Stylebook prospects of the phishing assaults, warning that the emails got here from ‘assist@getscore.my[.]id’ with a topic much like “Relating to AP Stylebook Order no. 07/20/2023 06:48:20 am.”
The Related Press additionally requires all AP Stylebook prospects to reset their passwords on the subsequent login.
Whereas this was not a major knowledge breach, with solely 224 prospects impacted, the login credentials for journalists and media corporations are extremely wanted by cybercriminals.
Having access to the community of a media firm might result in all kinds of assaults, together with extortion and ransomware assaults, knowledge theft, and cyber espionage.
Prior to now, native and international media shops suffered ransomware and cyberespionage assaults, together with Information Corp, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and German newspaper Heilbronn Stimme.
BleepingComputer contacted the Related Press to be taught extra concerning the phishing assault and can replace this text if we be taught extra.