Overview

• The Washington Post discovered on June 12 that a limited number of its Microsoft email accounts had been accessed without authorization.
• Executive Editor Matt Murray alerted staff on June 15 to a “possible targeted unauthorized intrusion” after affected journalists covering China and security policy were identified.
• Those targeted covered China, national security and economic policy, raising fears that the hack aimed to gather sensitive reporting materials.
• The Post has said the intrusion did not affect other systems or customer services, though it has not publicly disclosed details of the attack’s scope.
• Law enforcement and cybersecurity experts note that journalists are common targets for nation-state hacking operations seeking intelligence.