Washington D.C., June 16: The Washington Post, one of the leading US media companies, has become a new prey of cyber-attackers. Recently, hackers tried to break into the email accounts of Washington Post journalists, according to a report. Following this attack, the US-based major newspaper and media company took security measures for all its employees. It also began an investigation of the cyberattack that targeted its journalists. 

According to a report by CNN, Washington Journal discovered the attack and was prompted to reset the login credentials of all its journalists. Addressing the cyber attack, Washington Post Executive Editor Matt Murray said, "... the incident affected only a limited number of Post journalists' accounts, and we have contacted those whose accounts have been impacted." He also confirmed that the media giant launched an investigation into the matter. Oracle’s Larry Ellison Becomes World’s Second Richest Person Following Elon Musk, Surpasses Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg.

Matt Murray further provided details about how the cyberattack affected the journalists but said that no unauthorised intrusion affected the company's systems. He reportedly said that it was not clear who was responsible for the hacking attempt. However, he alleged that the Washington Post journalists were regular targets of state-backed spies and cybercriminals. 

Murray said that the state-supported spies targeting the company were interested in tracking their reporting before it became public. Further, the Washington Post said that the cybercriminals were interested in extorting news organisations. 

CNN reported that the Washington Post spokesperson declined to comment about the hackers' attempt on its journalists. The cyberattack was first reported by The WSJ (The Wall Street Journal) which highlighted that the reporters who were covering national security and economic policy were among the affected employees by the cybercriminals. Operation Sindoor: Dassault CEO Eric Trappier Rejects Pakistan’s Claim of Shooting Down Rafale Fighter Jets of Indian Air Force.

CNN mentioned that The WSJ was itself the victim of the Chinese hackers in 2022 as a part of espionage efforts amid issues with the United States and China.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 16, 2025 09:42 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).