German newspapers print emergency issues after cyber attack

German subscribers to the contents of the Funke media group on Wednesday were forced to rely on emergency printed newspaper issues and free online content due to cyber-attack earlier this week.

The company spokesperson said that the perpetrators had “encrypted data on the IT systems of the Funke media group,’’ adding that several systems were still not operational nationwide.

There was still no further information on the circumstances behind Tuesday’s attack. Specialists from the State Criminal Police Office were investigating the case with a special task force from the Essen police.

German newspapers like Berliner Morgenpost or Hamburger Abendblatt, which belong to the media group, had to sell so called emergency print issues on Wednesday, while pay walls were disabled for online content.

The Funke media group has also deployed a task force of IT and forensics experts “who are currently conducting a thorough investigation of the incident,’’ according to the company.

In an immediate response, all of the group’s IT systems had been shut down in a controlled manner on Tuesday.

“We are working at full speed to resolve the IT disruption as quickly as possible,’’ the spokesperson said