Cox Media Group (CMG), an integrated broadcasting, publishing, direct marketing, and digital media company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, confirmed that it was the victim of a ransomware attack that occurred in June 2021. CMG began sending data breach notification letters (linked below) late last week to approximately 800 individuals that had personal information exposed during the ransomware attack. The individuals, when they were just “potentially affected individuals”, were first notified over email in late July 2021. On June 3, 2021, CMG discovered that a small portion of its servers as well as specific files were encrypted and inaccessible by an undisclosed threat actor. The company disclosed that “although there was no initial indication (including from the threat actor) that data may have been taken in the incident, and although none has been observed through continuous dark web monitoring by CMG, [the company] recently determined that the threat actor tried to remove copies of certain HR files on a server, but the forensic evidence indicates that the attempt to do so may have been unsuccessful.” CMG also emphasized that there is “no evidence confirming that personally identifiable information was actually removed from CMG’s systems or misused as a result of this incident” as of late last week. The personal data that was exposed during the ransomware attack includes names, addresses, Social Security numbers, financial account and health insurance policy numbers, medical condition/diagnosis and health insurance information, and online user credentials. CMG also revealed that a ransom was not paid to the threat actor responsible and security advancements were implemented to improve detection and blocking measures for future third-party breach attempts.