[News](/news) Sinclair Broadcast Group Crippled by Ransomware Attack [Blog](/blog)[Breaches](/breaches)[Resources](/resources)[News](/news) # Sinclair Broadcast Group Crippled by Ransomware Attack ##### [Edward Kost](/team/edward-kost) October 24, 2021 Sinclair Broadcast Group, one of the largest television network conglomerates in the U.S fell victim to a ransomware attack causing mass disruptions throughout its entire network. [According to Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-20/sinclair-broadcast-hack-linked-to-notorious-russian-cybergang?sref=ylv224K8), the notorious Russian ransomware gang, Evil Corp, was responsible. Evil Corp showcased their new strain of malware in the attack known as ‘Macaw ransomware’, a variation of their previous creation - WastedLocker ransomware. Sinclair Broadcast Group is the leading provider of local news in the United States, suggesting that this could have been a targeted attempt to disrupt the deliverability of news in the United States. In its [official statement](https://sbgi.net/pr-news/sinclair-broadcast-group-provides-information-on-cybersecurity-incident/), Sinclair revealed that besides encrypting their critical internal processes, the cyberattacks also included data exfiltration. “On October 16, 2021, the Company identified and began to investigate and take steps to contain a potential security incident. On October 17, 2021, the Company identified that certain servers and workstations in its environment were encrypted with ransomware and that certain office and operational networks were disrupted. Data also was taken from the Company’s network. The Company is working to determine what information the data contained and will take other actions as appropriate based on its review.” Sinclair said in its statement. The addition of data theft alongside encryption is characteristic of the latest phase in the evolution of ransomware, a development that could [now classify ransomware attacks as data breaches](https://www.upguard.com/blog/ransomware-attacks-vs-data-breaches). Sinclair still hasn’t recovered from an attack that has seized all of its modern systems and reverted its technology back 40 years. > The ramifications of this Sinclair ransomware attack are wild. Second day of newscasts looking like the 1970s with no graphics or prompters, and anchors are just plowing through a half-hour straight with no commercials. > > — George Gerbo (@Gerbo3) [October 20, 2021](https://twitter.com/Gerbo3/status/1450938516725276673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) ## How secure is Sinclair Broadcast Group? Sinclair Broadcast Group operates television stations across multiple markets and provides local news, entertainment, and sports programming through broadcast and digital platforms. The company owns and operates multicast networks including Comet, CHARGE!, and The Nest, as well as Tennis Channel. * View our free preliminary report on Sinclair Broadcast Group’s security posture * 13 risk factors, including email security, SSL, DNS health, open ports and common vulnerabilities [View Sinclair Broadcast Group's score](/security-report/sinclair-broadcast-group) [View score](/security-report/sinclair-broadcast-group) [https://sbgi.net/](/security-report/sinclair-broadcast-group) ### Sign up for our newsletter UpGuard's monthly newsletter cuts through the noise and brings you what matters most: our breaking research, in-depth analysis of emerging threats, and actionable strategic insights. ## Latest news Stay up-to-date with the latest news in cybersecurity. [](/news/hugging-face-data-breach-2026-07-20) #### [Hugging Face data breach: key facts and what we know so far](/news/hugging-face-data-breach-2026-07-20) A data breach involving Hugging Face was reported in July 2026. See incident details, impact on customers, and recommended security measures. ##### [UpGuard Team](/team/upguard) July 20, 2026 [](/news/ey-data-breach-2026-07-19) #### [EY data breach: what happened and what's at risk](/news/ey-data-breach-2026-07-19) A data breach involving EY was reported in July 2026. See incident details, impact on customers, and recommended security measures. ##### [UpGuard Team](/team/upguard) July 15, 2026 [](/news/south-florida-injury-convenient-care-data-breach-2026-07-16) #### [South Florida Injury & Convenient Care data breach exposes names and Social Security numbers](/news/south-florida-injury-convenient-care-data-breach-2026-07-16) A data breach involving South Florida Injury & Convenient Care was reported in July 2026. See incident details, impact on customers, and security measures. ##### [UpGuard Team](/team/upguard) July 15, 2026 [](/news/park-west-psychology-data-breach-2026-07-16) #### [Park West Psychology data breach: what happened and what's at risk](/news/park-west-psychology-data-breach-2026-07-16) A data breach involving Park West Psychology was reported in July 2026. See incident details, impact on customers, and recommended security measures. ##### [UpGuard Team](/team/upguard) July 15, 2026 [](/news/fall-river-municipal-credit-union-data-breach-2026-07-16) #### [Fall River Municipal Credit Union data breach: what happened and what's at risk](/news/fall-river-municipal-credit-union-data-breach-2026-07-16) A data breach involving Fall River Municipal Credit Union was reported in July 2026. See incident details, impact on customers, and recommended security measures. ##### [](#) July 14, 2026 [](/news/npcil-data-breach-2026-07-16) #### [NPCIL data breach: World Leaks claims exposure of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant files](/news/npcil-data-breach-2026-07-16) A data breach involving NPCIL was reported in July 2026. See incident details, impact on customers, and recommended security measures. ##### [UpGuard Team](/team/upguard) July 14, 2026 [View all news](/news) ## Protect your organization Get in touch or book a free demo. [Contact sales](/demo) [Free demo](/demo) ##### Free instant security score ## How secure is your organization? Request a free cybersecurity report to discover key risks on your website, email, network, and brand. * Instant insights you can act on immediately * Hundreds of risk factors including email security, SSL, DNS health, open ports and common vulnerabilities [Free score](/instant-security-score)