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Computer Virus Hits Newspapers Coast-to-Coast, Affects Printing (nbcnews.com)

A computer virus hit newspaper printing plants in Los Angeles and at Tribune Publishing newspapers across the country. From a report: Tribune Publishing said Saturday night that malware affected its ability to print newspapers across its chain of outlets, including the Chicago Tribune, the New York Daily News, the Baltimore Sun and the Orlando Sentinel. Many subscribers to the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune, which were previously owned by Tribune Publishing and still share some production technology with the company, stepped into a chilly sunny morning Saturday only to find empty doorsteps. The computer malware was detected Friday and "impacted some back-office systems which are primarily used to publish and produce newspapers across our properties," said Marisa Kollias, Tribune communications vice president, in a statement.

57 comments

  1. I subscribe to one of their papers by OffTheLip · · Score: 1

    My Sunday morning paper came with two middle sections and no front section. Can I blame the malware for that or should I assume it's the fading newspaper business as a whole?

  2. The Truth Virus by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    all in the subject.

    1. Re: The Truth Virus by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Gosh I hate it when that happens. Whoever that is causing these problems they are gonna get it. Big trouble! Hide tanning!

  3. And no one noticed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And nothing of value was lost. Since the emergence of the Microsoft "editor" reading a newspaper has been very trying.

    1. Re: And no one noticed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My paper girl carries the newspaper right through my doorway

    2. Re: And no one noticed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Where you immediately help her emotionally and physically get through problems with her boyfriend, Iâ(TM)m sure.

    3. Re: And no one noticed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      See? That's why Cdreimer left /. after 20 years and posted 100+ videos in 2018. His trolls are still butthurt that he left them alone with APK.

      The thing to do for him: post more videos :)

  4. Newspaper? by olsmeister · · Score: 2

    Is that like a paper version of Twitter?

    1. Re: Newspaper? by nsuccorso · · Score: 4, Funny

      No, youâ(TM)ll find that in a roll next to your toilet.

    2. Re: Newspaper? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am your square root.

  5. Emergency backup solution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you're affected by this problem and don't have a morning paper to read, merely look at the AP headlines and then pick a New York Times editorial at random. Congratulations, you have now duplicated the experience of reading any mass market newspaper.

    1. Re: Emergency backup solution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow! Who would pay a robot minimum wage when you could literally just use your favorite AP affiliate! The wonder of it all!

  6. Microsoft finishes the year in style. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    MS style that is. Everybody can go the pub early cause nothing works.

  7. If your newspaper has a computer virus by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    it's not actually a newspaper.

    hth

  8. Paper by puddingebola · · Score: 1

    Hasn't purchasing paper newspapers become somewhat obsolete? I'm sure some significant percentage of a newspapers revenue is still from paper sales, but it's kind of a luxury now. With my local paper, it's $2.50 for a paper copy, it's $3 per week for an online subscription.

    1. Re:Paper by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      some people still have birds in bird cages and they need something to line the cage with.

    2. Re:Paper by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 2

      Don't you people get tons of store flyers printed on paper like us in Canada?

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    3. Re:Paper by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes.

    4. Re: Paper by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      More plastic than paper :(

    5. Re:Paper by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But in USA, some people are nicer to the planet; Cdreimer went to a Shake Shack and only had a strawberry milkshake.

  9. cui bono by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    Enemies of the orange man get hit by Russian bots.
    No collusion, my ass.

    1. Re:cui bono by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just more excuses to push more of their anti-russian narrative. It's probably all fake news, Probably some idiot reporter plugged in an infected thumb, and all these liberal rags are owned by the same parent company whose network the virus propagated though.

    2. Re:cui bono by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, you are an ass, and no, there was no collusion.
      Grow up and get a real job.

  10. Kiss my ass dollars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If it doesn't result in all the printers spewing out page after page of Axel Foley's Kiss My Ass Dollars, I'm not interested.

  11. The virus Also affected some web versions by williamyf · · Score: 3, Informative

    Specificaly:

    "The digital replica edition of the Union-Tribune was also affected. The company is working to restore that version this morning."

    Granted, you could use the web to get your information and news somewhere else...

    But, if for whatever reason you were a subscriber of the SD union tribune, and/or wanted to see the SD union tribune, the web was not there to save the day.

    Source:
    https://www.sandiegouniontribu...

    --
    *** Suerte a todos y Feliz dia!
  12. And nothing of value was lost by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And nothing of value was lost

  13. Re:Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So I take it you are pro-Russia. Good to know.

  14. Re:Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fuck yes I am, a country that wasn't quite fully an ally yet, but had made significant progress since the cold war all being unraveled by the anti-trump liberal news rags and talking heads trying to bring back and spin the anti-russian fear of the cold war era.

    You do realize the progress we made up until the liberal media had a field day right? I mean we have a fucking multi billion dollar space station floating around the planet of which they helped build like half of it. You do realize at this time they are our only way to get men in space and to the space station? All this anti-russian shit is just liberal media spin, anti-russian does not exist at the govt level.

  15. I find it kind of funny by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

    You know, knocking out propaganda outlets and all, but this is another reason not to have monopolies. A single virus with a short list of targets will burn down the whole house.

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  16. Re:Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    anti-russian does not exist at the govt level

    The government does not exist at the corporate level...

  17. Not to worry by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 1

    Not to worry- the virus only attacks prestigious, well-regarded publishers, so Slashdot is safe. :)

    (I'm kidding, kidding I tell you!)

    --
    Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
  18. "Anti-Russian! Anti-Russian! WAAAAAAH!!" by benjfowler · · Score: 1

    Anybody noticed the trolls shitposting about ANTI RUSSIAN sentiment lately?

    Do NOT be misled: opposing Vladimir Putin and his vile policies is NOT racist.

    The world got wise to the troll's "Russophobia" line -- it was invented by 19th century Russian racists to smear Jews, and was transformed into a general sledge against opponents of Russian fascism and criminality on the Internet. They got laughed out. Now Russian trolls have taken to the term "fascist" and "anti-Russian".

    This is highly dishonest, because Putin-regime apologists want to confuse dislike of Vladimir Putin and his vicious criminal imperialism with hatred of Russians in general, which is dishonest in the extreme.

    If you see this trolling and misrepresentation, don't be misled: being against Putin is NOT racist.

    1. Re:"Anti-Russian! Anti-Russian! WAAAAAAH!!" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anybody noticed the trolls shitposting about ANTI RUSSIAN sentiment lately?

      Yeah, they've been doing that since 2016, crying about how we must be anti Russia, as if a failed superpower is any fucking threat whatsoever.

      It's a continuation of, "OH NO SCAWY BROWN PEOPLE IN CAVES!".

      Cold war's over, gramps, take your fucking meds and get the fuck out of the way so we can prepare to deal with China later this century.

    2. Re:"Anti-Russian! Anti-Russian! WAAAAAAH!!" by benjfowler · · Score: 1

      Por que no los dos?

    3. Re:"Anti-Russian! Anti-Russian! WAAAAAAH!!" by benjfowler · · Score: 1

      So, you are making the bold claim that Putin IS Russia? That I am a racist for opposing Vladimir Putin's problematic policies and behaviour? That I dislike his bullying and dirty tricks?

      "L'Etat c'cest moi!!"

      Do you have ANY idea how arrogant that sounds?

    4. Re:"Anti-Russian! Anti-Russian! WAAAAAAH!!" by benjfowler · · Score: 1

      LOL.

      If you're a black guy from Chicago, then I'm the Queen of fucking Sheba.

      Nice try, bot.

    5. Re:"Anti-Russian! Anti-Russian! WAAAAAAH!!" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you obtuse? I'm white. Hence the comment about my grandfather talking about "n-ggers", I thought it was obvious that a black guy wouldn't be denigrating other blacks, but at this point I'm not sure that YOU aren't the bot...

      Anyway, I grew up well under the poverty line. This was in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I've been there and seen all the things first hand you sit in your Ivory Tower and accuse others doing of while turning around and doing the exact same thing. But if calling me a bot helps absolve you of your bigotry in your mind so you can sleep at night in your lily-white, gated suburban paradise, by all means, get your salvation at my expense. You hypocrites have been doing it my whole life, I don't expect anything to start changing now.

  19. No Operating System Specified by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Neither the summary, NBC article, nor the links to the LA Times or other organizations mentioned the operating systems that were affected. This is the first piece of information that should be disseminated in a malware incident.

    Good job, journalists!

  20. The Cancer that's killing the Internet by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

    I'm starting to think that cyberwarfare and cybercrime are what will really be what kills the Internet once and for all. How can we continue having a 'free and open Internet' when it's weaponized like this, and apparently nothing can stop it?

    1. Re:The Cancer that's killing the Internet by StormReaver · · Score: 1

      ...and apparently nothing can stop it?

      Are you serious? Stupid shit like this is EASILY preventable, but stupid people doing stupid things MAKE this happen. Normally, I wouldn't be promoting blaming the victims. But this isn't a case of the newpapers being victims of outsiders, despite outsiders having written the virus. This is a case of the newspapers doing it to themselves.

      After all these years, there is NO REASON for business operations getting viruses. If they are still getting viruses on their business computers, it is their own fault. I have ZERO sympathy for them. They knew the risks, and they ignored them. It's like jumping off a tall cliff, ignoring warnings of dire consequences, then complaining when they're in traction. It's their own damn fault.

    2. Re:The Cancer that's killing the Internet by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      Yeah sure. It's all wreaking havoc, costing everyone millions of dollars, but they're clearly and objectively sitting on their hands and not doing anything about it. Sure. {citation needed}

  21. Like Rain by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Computer malware or viruses are like rain, it's coming, get a proper umbrella or get wet.

  22. What ever you do don't mention Windows :] by najajomo · · Score: 2

    It's tech reporting like this that keeps me coming back to the slashdot. Would this “computer” by any chance be running Microsoft Windows? What the fuck is the point of running a technology blog if you won't supply any technical information? Let me guess, opening an email attachment triggered a macro in a Microsoft Word file ..

    Programmers worked to isolate the bug

    I would have thought the solution would be to patch the OS then deploy the patched OS to the desktops.

  23. Re: One word ... by poemtree · · Score: 1

    Windows

    --
    Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from Macintosh...
  24. Shudder! by Wizardess · · Score: 1

    Think of all the bird cages left unlined and dogs left untrained by the lack of the cherished tools published by LATimes et al.
    {O.O}

  25. Newspaper publishers do not print newspapers. by pigsycyberbully · · Score: 0

    All printing centres use Apple computers for their layout. Newspaper publishers do not print newspapers.

  26. Newspaper printing? by roc97007 · · Score: 1

    Is that still a thing?

    --
    Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
  27. Hmmm, no Snapshot backups? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I am fairly sure they have a SAN backend, why wasn't the snapshot backup enabled or was the malware infection on the clients past the backend's snapshot retention date (somehow).

    This should have been a 30 second fix.......

    Suspecting their SAN admin doubles as secretary......

  28. whipslash leave cdreimer be... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Whipslash/Logan Abbott: Stop being SUCH a "Rubber Willy" (lol, i.e. DILDO), ok? You're pissed @ cdreimer for shitting on /. & perhaps RIGHTFULLY so (on BOTH your parts) - but look @ the guy: He has issues imo - he doesn't need YOU compounding them! I feel cdreimer even "took shots" @ ME in that video but I don't bug him about it - again, he has problems enough.

    & of course "but, But, BUT '/. doesn't delete posts'"?

    BS - I've got you recorded in doing 100's vs. me literally in screenshots (never mind those of others you did as well) - I was only warning folks of issues in Spectrum "bricks", deceiving things too (logons to NOTHING exist in them but then they do NOT ROUTE PACKETS like dual connect (or more) routers do).

    Which yes I did MORE research w/ SPECTRUM personnel (after a modem I was told I would get had its ORDER CANCELLED & not by ME but by their POLICIES that leave users exposed).

    I am MORE CONVINCED THAN EVER along w/ their personnel that they are sacrificing short-term profits vs. users' safety - but then, that's the "arbitrary cost" involved + "moral relativism" isn't it?

    Just like YOU as a webmaster? BOTH sides = CONVINCED they're 'right' - profit is "our fidiciary duty" to our shareholders (& OURSELVES as profiteers too, of course & "BONUSES")!

    As I am vs. YOUR TRUE "puppet-master" in GOOGLE your primary financier who TRACKS/SLOWS/INFECTS US ALL! ... & ALL those LIKE them, in advertisers (BIGGEST "spammers" of all yet YOU CALL ME THAT? Hypocrisy abounds!)

    Please: Unlike YOU? No 'crass motivations' here as I absolutely KNOW I'm doing the RIGHT thing, the ABSOLUTE GOOD protecting even advertisers (who yes, use hosts to prototype their machinations as do many a webmaster)).

    APK

    P.S.=> Grow up BOY - You can DELETE ALL DAY? I can REPOST ALL DAMN DAY overriding you (you already KNOW this) - but our "2 yr. anniversary" of ME quoting YOU saying you can "STOP ME" (an impossibility as everyone knows, only thing that stops ME, is ME, not you)?? It's going to happen - only thing is, I haven't decided YET how I'll do it (Marcus Allen/Jonathan "rollerball" https://www.youtube.com/watch?... since that's how you TRIED & FAILED to "do me") OR via "Rubber Willy" & the old 'glam-band' SWEET & "Little Willy" https://www.youtube.com/watch?... (lol, in YOUR CASE? RUBBER WILLY, lol)... apk