The Washington Post, a prominent American news organization, suffered a data breach caused by an exploited vulnerability in Oracle’s E-Business Suite software. The ransomware group **CL0P** gained unauthorized access between **July 10, 2025, and August 22, 2025**, compromising sensitive personal and financial data of **9,720 current and former employees and contractors**. Exposed information included **names, Social Security numbers, tax ID numbers, bank account numbers, and routing numbers**.The breach was discovered on **September 29, 2025**, after a threat actor contacted the company. Forensic investigations confirmed the exploit, revealing the vulnerability was widespread among Oracle clients. The Washington Post applied patches, notified affected individuals via mail starting **November 12, 2025**, and disclosed the incident to the **Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont Attorney Generals' offices**. As a remedial measure, the company offered **24 months of free IDX identity protection services** to impacted individuals.
Source: https://www.claimdepot.com/data-breach/the-washington-post-2025
The Washington Post cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/washingtonpost
"id": "WAS4192541111325",
"linkid": "washingtonpost",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "7/2025",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "3",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with internal employee data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '9,720 (employees and '
'contractors)',
'industry': 'News/Publishing',
'location': 'United States',
'name': 'The Washington Post',
'type': 'Media Organization'}],
'attack_vector': 'Exploitation of Zero-Day Vulnerability in Oracle E-Business '
'Suite',
'customer_advisories': 'Affected individuals notified via mail with guidance '
'on identity protection',
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': True,
'number_of_records_exposed': '9,720',
'personally_identifiable_information': True,
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (SSNs, tax IDs, bank details)',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personally Identifiable '
'Information (PII)',
'Financial Data']},
'date_detected': '2025-09-29',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2025-10-27',
'description': 'The Washington Post, a leading American news organization, '
'experienced a data breach that exposed sensitive information '
'of current and former employees and contractors. The incident '
'stemmed from a previously unknown vulnerability in Oracle’s '
'E-Business Suite software, exploited by the ransomware group '
'CL0P. The breach affected 9,720 individuals across the United '
'States, with exposed data including names, Social Security '
'numbers, tax ID numbers, bank account numbers, and routing '
'numbers.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential reputational damage due to '
'exposure of employee PII',
'data_compromised': ['Names',
'Social Security Numbers',
'Tax ID Numbers',
'Bank Account Numbers',
'Routing Numbers'],
'identity_theft_risk': 'High (SSNs, tax IDs, and bank details '
'exposed)',
'legal_liabilities': 'Disclosures to Maine, Massachusetts, and '
"Vermont Attorney Generals' offices",
'payment_information_risk': 'High (bank account and routing '
'numbers exposed)',
'systems_affected': ['Oracle E-Business Suite applications']},
'initial_access_broker': {'entry_point': 'Vulnerability in Oracle E-Business '
'Suite',
'high_value_targets': ['Employee PII and financial '
'data']},
'investigation_status': 'Completed (forensic investigation confirmed exploit '
'and scope)',
'motivation': 'Financial Gain (Data Theft for Extortion or Sale)',
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': ['Applied vendor-provided '
'patches for the '
'vulnerability',
'Offered identity '
'protection services to '
'affected individuals'],
'root_causes': ['Exploitation of zero-day '
'vulnerability in third-party '
'software (Oracle E-Business '
'Suite)',
'Delayed detection (breach '
'occurred July–August 2025, '
'detected in September 2025)']},
'ransomware': {'data_exfiltration': True, 'ransomware_strain': 'CL0P'},
'recommendations': ['Monitor financial accounts and credit reports for '
'suspicious activity',
'Enroll in the provided 24 months of IDX identity '
'protection services'],
'references': [{'source': 'The Washington Post Breach Notification '
'(Example)'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': ['Maine Attorney '
'General',
'Massachusetts '
'Attorney General',
'Vermont Attorney '
'General']},
'response': {'communication_strategy': ['Notification letters mailed to '
'affected individuals (starting '
'2025-11-12)',
'Disclosure to state Attorney '
"Generals' offices (Maine, "
'Massachusetts, Vermont)'],
'containment_measures': ['Applied patches for Oracle E-Business '
'Suite vulnerability'],
'incident_response_plan_activated': True,
'third_party_assistance': ['Forensic Experts']},
'stakeholder_advisories': 'Notifications sent to affected '
'employees/contractors and state regulators',
'threat_actor': 'CL0P Ransomware Group',
'title': 'The Washington Post Data Breach via Oracle E-Business Suite '
'Vulnerability',
'type': 'Data Breach / Ransomware Attack',
'vulnerability_exploited': 'Unknown vulnerability in Oracle E-Business Suite '
'(CVE not specified)'}