News-Press & Gazette Company Suffers Major Data Breach, Exposing Sensitive PII
News-Press & Gazette Company, a Missouri-based media organization, confirmed a significant data breach that compromised the personally identifiable information (PII) of hundreds of individuals across the U.S. The incident, detected on September 4, 2025, involved unauthorized access to the company’s network between September 4 and September 25, 2025, during which sensitive data was accessed and exfiltrated.
The hacking group TERMITE claimed responsibility, posting details on the dark web on September 16, 2025. The exposed data included full names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, passport scans, email addresses, phone numbers, residential and billing addresses, emergency contacts, and organizational affiliations. Leaked samples also contained internal financial statements and credit applications.
According to regulatory filings, at least 531 Texas residents and 22 Massachusetts residents were affected. The company disclosed the breach to state Attorney General offices on December 17, 2025, and notified impacted individuals by mail.
In response, News-Press & Gazette Company launched an investigation with external cybersecurity experts, confirming on November 17, 2025, that PII had been accessed. As a remedial measure, the company is offering one year of free credit monitoring through Cyberscout (a TransUnion service), including single-bureau credit monitoring, a credit report, and a credit score. Affected individuals must enroll within 90 days of receiving their notification letter.
A dedicated call center (833-877-1266) has been established for impacted individuals, operating Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.
Source: https://www.claimdepot.com/data-breach/the-commonly-known-name-is-news--2025
News-Press & Gazette Company TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/news-press-&-gazette-company
"id": "new1766015999",
"linkid": "news-press-&-gazette-company",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "9/2025",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'At least 553 (531 Texas '
'residents, 22 Massachusetts '
'residents)',
'industry': 'Media',
'location': 'St. Joseph, Missouri, USA',
'name': 'News-Press & Gazette Company',
'type': 'Media Organization'}],
'attack_vector': 'Unauthorized Network Access',
'customer_advisories': 'Dedicated call center established at 833-877-1266 '
'(Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET)',
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes',
'file_types_exposed': ['Financial statements',
'Credit applications'],
'number_of_records_exposed': 'At least 553',
'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes',
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Full names',
'Social Security numbers',
'Dates of birth',
'Passport scans',
'Email addresses',
'Phone numbers',
'Residential and billing '
'addresses',
'Emergency contact details',
'Organizational affiliations']},
'date_detected': '2025-09-04',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2025-12-17',
'description': 'News-Press & Gazette Company experienced a significant data '
'breach exposing personally identifiable information of '
'hundreds of individuals across the U.S. The breach involved '
'unauthorized access to sensitive data, including Social '
'Security numbers and dates of birth, raising identity theft '
'risks.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Likely significant',
'data_compromised': 'Personally Identifiable Information (PII)',
'identity_theft_risk': 'High',
'legal_liabilities': 'Possible regulatory fines and legal actions'},
'initial_access_broker': {'data_sold_on_dark_web': 'Claimed by TERMITE'},
'investigation_status': 'Completed (as of 2025-11-17)',
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': 'Credit monitoring services '
'offered, manual review of '
'compromised data'},
'recommendations': ['Monitor financial accounts and credit reports for signs '
'of identity theft',
'Consider placing fraud alerts or credit freezes with '
'major credit bureaus',
'Be cautious of unsolicited emails or phone calls '
'requesting personal information'],
'references': [{'source': 'News-Press & Gazette Company Notice of Data '
'Breach'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'regulations_violated': ['State data breach '
'notification laws'],
'regulatory_notifications': ['Massachusetts '
"Attorney General's "
'Office',
'Texas Attorney '
"General's Office"]},
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Notice of Data Breach posted on '
'website, notifications mailed to '
'affected individuals, dedicated call '
'center established',
'containment_measures': 'Manual review of compromised data, '
'engagement of cybersecurity experts',
'incident_response_plan_activated': 'Yes',
'remediation_measures': 'Credit monitoring services offered to '
'affected individuals',
'third_party_assistance': 'External cybersecurity professionals'},
'threat_actor': 'TERMITE',
'title': 'News-Press & Gazette Company Data Breach',
'type': 'Data Breach'}