Latest news with #LeeEnterprises
Wall Street Journal
18-07-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Hoffmann Family of Companies Proposes Recapitalization for Lee Enterprises
Hoffmann Family of Companies sent a letter to Lee Enterprises' board of directors expressing interest in supporting a recapitalization valuing the newspaper operator at $462 million. Hoffmann said on Friday that it proposed a $25 million investment in newly issued common equity at $2 a share, alongside a $25 million backstopped rights offering to existing shareholders at the same price. That structure implies a valuation of $462 million based on Lee's current debt and outstanding shares, the family-owned private-equity firm said.
Business Journals
30-06-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Owner of St. Louis Post-Dispatch agrees to $9.5M payout, faces 3 new class-action claims
Lee Enterprises, the Iowa-based owner of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has agreed to pay $9.5 million to subscribers alleging privacy violations and is now facing three invasion-of-privacy lawsuits from current or former employees.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lee Enterprises Provides Notice of Data Incident
DAVENPORT, Iowa, June 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Lee Enterprises ("Lee") is writing to notify the community of a data security incident which may have affected your personal information. We take the privacy and security of all information within our possession very seriously. Please read this letter carefully as it contains information regarding the incident and information about steps that affected individuals can take to help protect your information. Please review this communication to learn what happened and the steps that you can take to protect yourself against identity fraud. What Happened? On May 28, 2025, we learned that sensitive information of private individuals was potentially accessed without authorization. The unauthorized access was the result of a suspicious event we first learned of on or about February 3, promptly initiated an investigation of the matter and engaged cybersecurity specialists to assist with the incident response. As a result, we determined that certain files may have been accessed or acquired without authorization on February 1, 2025. With the help of a third-party vendor, we undertook a comprehensive review and, on or about May 28, 2025, learned that some of your personal information was contained within the affected data set. Please note, we have no evidence of the misuse, or attempted misuse, of any potentially impacted information. What Information Was Involved? The incident may have included a person's name with a combination of one or more of the following: Social Security Number, Driver's License, Financial Account Number, Medical Information, or Health Insurance Policy Number. What We Are Doing As soon as we discovered this incident, we took the steps described above and implemented measures to enhance security and minimize the risk of a similar incident occurring in the future. We also notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation and will cooperate with any resulting investigation and provide whatever cooperation may be necessary to hold the perpetrators accountable. In addition, we are offering identity theft protection services through IDX, the data breach and recovery services expert. IDX identity protection services to include credit and CyberScan monitoring, a $1,000,000 insurance reimbursement policy, and fully managed ID theft recovery services. With this protection, IDX will help you resolve issues if your identity is compromised. The deadline to enroll in these services is September 3, 2025. What You Can Do. You can follow the recommendations on the following page to help protect your personal information. You can also enroll in the complementary services offered to you through IDX. For More Information. Further information about how to protect your personal information appears on the following page. If you have questions or need assistance, please call 1-855-200-0677. We take your trust in us and this matter very seriously. We regret any worry or inconvenience this may cause. Sincerely, Lee Enterprises4600 E. 53rd StreetDavenport, IA 52807 Steps You Can Take to Help Protect Your Personal Information Review Your Account Statements and Notify Law Enforcement of Suspicious Activity: As a precautionary measure, we recommend that you remain vigilant by reviewing your account statements and credit reports closely. If you detect any suspicious activity on an account, you should promptly notify the financial institution or company with which the account is maintained. You also should promptly report any fraudulent activity or any suspected incidence of identity theft to proper law enforcement authorities, your state attorney general, and/or the Federal Trade Commission (the "FTC"). Copy of Credit Report: You may obtain a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies once every 12 months by visiting calling toll-free 1-877-322-8228, or by completing an Annual Credit Report Request Form and mailing it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348. You also can contact one of the following three national credit reporting agencies: Equifax P.O. Box 105851 Atlanta, GA 30348 1-800-525-6285 Experian P.O. Box 9532 Allen, TX 75013 1-888-397-3742 TransUnion P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA Fraud Alert: You may want to consider placing a fraud alert on your credit report. An initial fraud alert is free and will stay on your credit file for at least one year. The alert informs creditors of possible fraudulent activity within your report and requests that the creditor contact you prior to establishing any accounts in your name. To place a fraud alert on your credit report, contact any of the three credit reporting agencies identified above. Additional information is available at For TransUnion: Security Freeze: You have the right to put a security freeze on your credit file for up to one year at no cost. This will prevent new credit from being opened in your name without the use of a PIN number that is issued to you when you initiate the freeze. A security freeze is designed to prevent potential creditors from accessing your credit report without your consent. As a result, using a security freeze may interfere with or delay your ability to obtain credit. You must separately place a security freeze on your credit file with each credit reporting agency. In order to place a security freeze, you may be required to provide the consumer reporting agency with information that identifies you including your full name, Social Security number, date of birth, current and previous addresses, a copy of your state-issued identification card, and a recent utility bill, bank statement or insurance statement. For TransUnion: You also have certain rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA): These rights include to know what is in your file; to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information; to have consumer reporting agencies correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; as well as other rights. For more information about the FCRA, and your rights pursuant to the FCRA, please visit Additional Free Resources: You can obtain information from the consumer reporting agencies, the FTC, or from your respective state Attorney General about fraud alerts, security freezes, and steps you can take toward preventing identity theft. You may report suspected identity theft to local law enforcement, including to the FTC or to the Attorney General in your state. Federal Trade Commission - Consumer Response Center: 600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20580; 1-877- IDTHEFT (438-4338); For residents of Hawaii, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, and Wyoming: You are advised to remain vigilant for incidents of fraud and identity theft by reviewing credit card account statements and monitoring your credit report for unauthorized activity. For residents of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, and West Virginia: You may obtain a copy of your credit report, free of charge, whether or not you suspect any unauthorized activity on your account. You may obtain a free copy of your credit report from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies. To order your free credit report, please visit or call toll-free at 1-877-322-8228. You can also order your annual free credit report by mailing a completed Annual Credit Report Request Form (available at to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA, 30348-5281. For residents of Iowa: You are advised to report any suspected identity theft to law enforcement or to the Attorney General. For residents of New Mexico: You are advised to review personal account statements and credit reports, as applicable, to detect errors resulting from the security breach. You have rights under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which governs the collection and use of information pertaining to you by consumer reporting agencies. For more information about your rights under the FCRA, please visit or For residents of Massachusetts: You have the right to obtain a police report filed in regard to this incident. If you are the victim of identity theft, you also have the right to file a police report and obtain a copy of it. For residents of Oregon: You are advised to report any suspected identity theft to law enforcement, including the Attorney General, and the Federal Trade Commission. For residents of Rhode Island: You have the right to file or obtain a police report in regard to this incident. For residents of Arizona, Colorado, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island: You can obtain information from the offices of your state Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission about fraud alerts, security freezes, and steps you can take toward preventing identity theft. Federal Trade Commission - Consumer Response Center: 600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20580; 1-877- IDTHEFT (438-4338); Arizona Office of the Attorney General Consumer Protection & Advocacy Section: 2005 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004 1-602-542-5025 Colorado Office of the Attorney General Consumer Protection: 1300 Broadway, 9th Floor, Denver, CO 80203 1-720- 508-6000 District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General – Office of Consumer Protection: 400 6th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001; 202-727-3400; Illinois office of the Attorney General: 100 West Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60601; 1-866-999-5630; Maryland Office of the Attorney General - Consumer Protection Division: 200 St. Paul Place, 16th floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1- 888-743-0023; New York Office of Attorney General - Consumer Frauds & Protection: The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224; 1-800-771-7755; North Carolina Office of the Attorney General - Consumer Protection Division: 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699; 1- 877-566-7226; Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General - Consumer Protection: 150 South Main St., Providence RI 02903; 1-401-274-4400; View original content: SOURCE Lee Enterprises Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
TechCrunch
04-06-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
Data breach at newspaper giant Lee Enterprises affects 40,000 people
In Brief Lee Enterprises, the newspaper publishing giant that was hit by a ransomware attack in February, causing widespread disruption to dozens of U.S. media outlets, has confirmed the cyberattack resulted in the theft of employees' personal data. The company confirmed in a letter filed with Maine's attorney general that the personal information of 39,779 people was stolen in the cyberattack, including Social Security numbers. The data breach mostly affects former and current employees at the company. Lee is one of the largest newspaper publishers in the U.S., and provides publishing technology and web services to more than 70 publications. The ransomware attack paralyzed newspaper printing, disrupted operations at media outlets across the country for weeks, and affected payments to freelancers and contractors. Qilin, a prolific ransomware gang known for destructive cyberattacks, took credit for the breach. A spokesperson for Lee did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lee Enterprises spent $2M for ransomware recovery
This story was originally published on Cybersecurity Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Cybersecurity Dive newsletter. Lee Enterprises said it incurred $2 million in restoration costs due to a major cybersecurity attack in February that also impacted second-quarter advertising revenue. The Davenport, Iowa-based newspaper chain suffered major disruptions during the February attack, when hackers encrypted critical applications and stole data. The company operates in 72 markets in 25 U.S. states, publishing major regional papers, including the Omaha World-Herald, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Buffalo News. The attack also affected the company's finances by freezing its ability to bill and collect money from customers and limiting its ability to pay vendors, VP, CFO and treasurer Tim Millage told analysts during a quarterly earnings call last week. 'While technical recovery is complete, there are some lingering impacts on our balance sheet, as we aim to improve working capital by reducing both accounts receivable and outstanding accounts payable throughout the remainder of the fiscal year,' Millage said during the call. The company's sole lender, BH Finance, agreed to waive interest and basic rent payments in March, April and May, according to Millage. The company has $453 million in debt outstanding under its agreement with BH Finance, according to the earnings report. The company said many of the costs are subject to insurance reimbursement and the claims process is ongoing, according to Millage. Lee Enterprises reported $137 million in total operating revenue for the quarter and said digital revenue rose 3% year-over-year, to $73 million, or 4% on a same-store basis. The company reported a net loss of $12 million for the quarter. The company previously warned in a regulatory filing that the attack would likely have a material impact on operations. The Qilin ransomware group previously claimed credit for the attack. The ransomware-as-a-service team claimed to have access to 350 gigabytes of data and threatened to release some of the information, but it is unclear if it did so. A spokesperson for Lee Enterprises previously confirmed they were aware of the claim and were investigating. Qilin has been active in the ransomware space in recent months. Qilin affiliates engaged in phishing attacks targeting an administrator at a managed service provider, Sophos said in an April report. Lee Enterprises has not explained how the hackers gained access to the company's IT network. The financial fallout underscores the potential long-term impacts on business resilience, according to Forrester, as research shows the average breach cost $2.7 million in 2024. 'It's critical to have strong incident response processes in place to manage the fallout from an incident like this, especially against attacks that affect business continuity,' principal analyst Allie Mellen said via email. 'In these scenarios, every minute counts, and ensuring personnel know what they need to do and when they need to do it can save precious time. This is especially true during ransomware incidents.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
