Record TV: See how hacker attack affects broadcaster

Rede Record has been hit by a massive hacker attack on Saturday (8) that has impacted the broadcaster’s operations so far. While no official statement has been made, reports from sources close to the company reveal the chaos created by the act of cybercriminals using ransomware to confiscate company files.

According to TecMundo journalist Felipe Payão, Record was affected by an attack on BlackCat ransomware distributed as a service by hackers. In addition to arresting the publisher’s files and demanding a ransom for their release, the criminals allegedly gained access to employee data, a network map containing publisher credentials, and financial information.

However, the hacker attack also draws attention with its results on the Registration screen. Since the beginning of the attack, the network has been doing its best to keep the programming going. Some sources close to the company have revealed some of the consequences of the cybercriminal action in the TV station’s production routine.

interrupted programming

The first result of the hacker attack was seen on Saturday morning: The Record’s schedule was hastily interrupted due to the attack, which allegedly made it difficult to keep live footage alive.

Because of this, the journalistic program Fala Brasil was interrupted by the broadcaster and was replaced by Todo Mundo Odeia o Chris, which was shown on Saturday morning. Check out the moment that sparked suspicions of the attack in the video above.

Physical media use and repetitions

With many digital files intercepted by hackers, Record had to grapple with keeping the show on the air. According to journalist Ricardo Feltrin’s sources, the company has searched files on physical media such as memory cards – now the company even plans to keep a collection in physical files to further protect against such actions.

The scheduling schedule was also changed due to the cybercrime act. The Hora do Faro program, which aired on Sundays, featured a repetition of the famous Vai Dar Namoro instead of an unprecedented edition.

Journalists Domingo Espetacular and Camera Record were also affected, with unpublished material and interviews discarded at the last minute. The company had to replace materials with replays or stories edited in near real time.

no access to ibope

In addition to the affected programming, the attack would also affect the TV station’s monitoring of viewer data. According to journalist Ricardo Feltrin, access to ibope information is limited and can only be made through the Kantar website.

Previously, tracker information was accessible from the smartphone, but only to some high-end users of the company. Despite the access restrictions, the hacker attack allegedly compromised the data, making the information difficult to track.

Ransom demand?

While the situation remains unclear as Record has not made an official statement about the attack, reports from sources close to the company indicate that the company is waiting for more information from the hackers, such as a ransom demand. Commonly used in ransomware attacks, ransomware is the step in which cybercriminals promise to release the trapped files by demanding some money from the victim.

However, it is important to note that the payment is not recommended by security experts as it encourages the continuation of this type of scam. Also, since some ransomware uses advanced and complex encryption, in some cases even hackers cannot unlock the files.