Targeted cyberattack on Washington Post journalists' email accounts, foreign government suspected
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The Washington Post reported a cyberattack that compromised the email accounts of several journalists, which investigators believe was most likely the work of a foreign government.
The newspaper discovered the "possible targeted" hack of its email system on Thursday, June 13, 2025. The organization reset the login credentials for all employees on Friday. Executive Editor Matt Murray communicated the incident to staff through an internal memo on Sunday, confirming that an investigation had been initiated immediately after the breach was discovered.
The attack compromised journalists' Microsoft accounts and could have granted the intruder access to work emails. The reporters whose emails were targeted include members of the national security and economic policy teams. The targeting suggests intelligence interests because these journalists cover sensitive national security and China-related topics.
Exposed data includes:
- Work email communications
- Potential access to ongoing reporting materials
- Communications related to national security coverage
- Economic policy reporting materials
- China-related investigative content
The exact number of affected individuals has not been disclosed by the organization. No information has been provided about the compromised data or which foreign government is suspected of orchestrating the attack.
The Washington Post has stated that they do not believe this unauthorized intrusion impacted any additional Post systems or had any impact on their customers.
