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25-66 impacted by Sinclair ransomware attack

Discussion pertaining to the Tri-Cities, Flint, Mt. Pleasant, and Bad Axe
sinklair
Posts: 2209
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2019 11:59 am

25-66 impacted by Sinclair ransomware attack

Post by sinklair » Mon Oct 18, 2021 7:54 am

Complete incompetence by Sinclair corporate Death Star has led to the Keystone Cops of responses by IT.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/s ... -downtime/

First, how could a Fortune 500 company botch its security efforts so badly that it causes all of its station’s major systems to go down?

Sinclair has forced its employees to take juvenile quizzes on how to spot phishing, ransomware, and other IT threats… instead of hardening up its own infrastructure.

We now are awaiting a mandatory company-wide meeting today where we are expected to get more information. Many of us are concerned about personal information that may have been compromised in the hack. Of course, none of our local “leaders” are providing any useful or reassuring information.

https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2021/ ... is-morning

So instead of being honest and transparent with our viewers about the cause of so-called “technical difficulties”, we just are downplaying the source of our problems.

https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2021/ ... ed-by-hack

And of course, instead of providing actual help to local stations, regional news director Lame Michaelsen sends out a text message to news directors — like our In Over Her Head News Director — basically saying you’re on your own while we try to figure something out.

https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2021/ ... rk-is-down

I’m not sure how any of these idiots at the Corporate Death Star keep their jobs. Just watch the SBGI stock prices plummet today due to the loss of revenue. I’m sure that will mean Sinclair CEO Chris the Ripper and owner/friend of prostitutes David Smith will hold off providing any further pay raises to those of us who kept their stations on the air despite the hack.



sinklair
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Re: 25-66 impacted by Sinclair ransomware attack

Post by sinklair » Mon Oct 18, 2021 8:12 am

This morning’s statement from the Corporate Death Star isn’t calming anyone fears:

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/ ... y-Incident

No wonder why they don’t want anyone taping today’s company meeting. It’s likely worse than what’s in the press release.

I love the legalese… that some of its systems were “disrupted.” Really? Downplay the headline much?

“Data was taken”… how about being transparent so our colleagues can take personal action to protect ourselves. This happened days ago and still no word about the risk this preventable breach had on our personal security. Will the company provide financial monitoring?

Legal counsel, law enforcement, forensic security and government officials involved. This is bigger than the company is letting on. And it’s frustrating with the lack of information being provided both by corporate and even our station “leaders”. No information from the GM, business manager, HR, or In Over Her Head News Director.

And the kicker… “ As the Company conducts its investigation, it will look for opportunities to enhance its existing security measures.”

Too little, too late.

Example 493 why Sinclair should not be allowed to run TV stations.



sinklair
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Re: 25-66 impacted by Sinclair ransomware attack

Post by sinklair » Mon Oct 18, 2021 8:46 am

Best quote of the morning… “Sinclair could (expletive) up a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

Yet another example of why Sinclair’s top down approach will never work.

All employees and advertisers should worry about how much information Sinclair has about them. It’s clear they aren’t responsible enough to protect this information. Class action lawsuit coming…





sinklair
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Re: 25-66 impacted by Sinclair ransomware attack

Post by sinklair » Mon Oct 18, 2021 8:17 pm

Here’s some more details from today’s conference call, but it was actually bleaker than the CNN article states:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/18/media/si ... index.html

Sinclair CEO Chris the Ripper tried putting a good spin on it, but it’s clear they are struggling to contain the impact on business operations, news production and advertising.

In the meantime, employees aren’t the only ones questioning Sinclair’s response. Investors are losing stock value.

And the best the company could offer… do your best.

This is yet another black eye for Sinclair, which is already the ugly baby of broadcasters.



bmw
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Re: 25-66 impacted by Sinclair ransomware attack

Post by bmw » Mon Oct 18, 2021 11:39 pm

Since at least 6 PM (maybe earlier), in the place of WSMH Fox 66 on Dish Network is CHARGE! tv.



sinklair
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Re: 25-66 impacted by Sinclair ransomware attack

Post by sinklair » Tue Oct 19, 2021 7:06 am

Another day, another sh*t show on Pierson Road… and little is being done to help support the Master Control operators, the Directors, newscast producers, reporters, sales staff, and dozens of others who — already had a difficult job — only to have Sinclair be more concerned about PR than fixing this problem and helping support those of us who are now working around the clock to keep us on the air.

https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2021/ ... o-talk-but

It is clear local station management up to the board room at the Sinclair corporate Death Star just don’t get it.

https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2021/ ... -the-liveu

I wonder how much Sinclair has already lost.. and will continue to lose due to a lack of investment in cyber security? It hasn’t given out raises in some time for employees niw expected to work overtime to save the company’s a**. it’s not airing proper commercial schedules. SBGI stock is plummeting. The local news operations side of Sinclair’s business is helping support the disaster known as Bally Sports. Now we are bleeding money too.

We can’t use our normal method of communication, so we set up a gmail account. I guess Hotmail wasn’t available.

And instead of taking to the website and social media to be honest with our viewers, we posted 6 cute animal videoed to Facebook. Yes, this is the “vision” coming from our In Over Her Head News Director.

This is another example why 25-66 will no longer be a competitive TV station. Years ago, previous managers (during the water crisis for example) took their jobs seriously to inform the public. They’ve now just given up in favor of cute animal photos, viewer pictures of the moon, and one-sided corporate must run propaganda. No time to cover real local news. Just keeping it real here…



organman95
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Re: 25-66 impacted by Sinclair ransomware attack

Post by organman95 » Tue Oct 19, 2021 8:07 pm

Almost as if Barrington still owns the station...



smallwonder
Posts: 103
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Location: midland mi

Re: 25-66 impacted by Sinclair ransomware attack

Post by smallwonder » Tue Oct 19, 2021 8:13 pm

This would never happen under Barrington ownership. They wouldn't do anything as embarrassing as this. How long does it take to fix this? They now are running other channels instead of Charge!


turn up the radio! mighty in might!

sinklair
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Re: 25-66 impacted by Sinclair ransomware attack

Post by sinklair » Tue Oct 19, 2021 8:21 pm

Barrington was bad — no doubt. But at least people cared.

Sinclair is worse. Much worse.



MasterB
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Location: Kalamazoo

Re: 25-66 impacted by Sinclair ransomware attack

Post by MasterB » Wed Oct 20, 2021 1:15 am

Cox had that problem over the summer from FTVLive took weeks before everything was running again they told the staff to not talk about it. I knew that it was going to be talked about by Sinklair. WWMT did get a noon newscast up today Monday was just Spotlight On America at noon I only watch the weather forecast on WWMT. They did get Wheel & Jeopardy back on tonight and said that was good news anything they can take from the anchors at 5PM, CW7 didn't have Big Bang as I flipped it to a couple before Stargirl.


Go Pistons, Let's Go Redwings.

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Herm
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Re: 25-66 impacted by Sinclair ransomware attack

Post by Herm » Wed Oct 20, 2021 6:15 am

sinklair wrote:
Tue Oct 19, 2021 8:21 pm
Barrington was bad — no doubt. But at least people cared.

Sinclair is worse. Much worse.
No they didn’t.



sinklair
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Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2019 11:59 am

Re: 25-66 impacted by Sinclair ransomware attack

Post by sinklair » Wed Oct 20, 2021 6:47 am

Herm, you jumped ship before Sinclair took over. Now you’re doing great at a much better operation. Good for you.

But I guarantee you that anyone that was at WEYI before Sinclair’s “hostile” takeover would disagree with you that Barrington was worse. Hell yeah, Barrington was run in the cheap. It forced us to put on an inferior product. But there were many great broadcast professionals (like you) that did some great work, sometimes in spite of the limitations we faced.

Fast forward to today. No one is proud to be associated with the crap we put on the air. People are looking to leave as soon as they can to get as far away as fast as possible from some of the worst management I’ve ever worked for. Trust me when I say morale on Pierson Road is the worst I’ve seen. That lands squarely on the handpicked Sinclair GM, the ASSistant GM/Promotions Director, the In Over Her Head News Director, the Director of Declining Sales, the HR Director/Grilled Cheese Party Planner and the other all-white station managers.

It’s comical watching our local engineers and IT deal with this latest Sinclair-made catastrophe. They’re frustrated and lashing out at us…

The fact is, Sinclair should have taken much more aggressive response after similar hacks at the Weather Channel and Cox Media. They didn’t. Sinclair believed their own press that they were well prepared and had sufficient security, policies and procedures. There was NO PLAN on how local stations were to respond to a failure of this magnitude. That’s why you continue to see stations fail to be able to put on regular programming.

Basic community cable access and student-run high school broadcasting channels are able to put on a more professional broadcast than Sinclair today.

Maybe instead of sitting on their piles of cash, CEO Chris the Ripper and Chairman/Lover of Prostitutes David Smith should invest in basic internet security programs. their stations and the people who are actually keeping us on the air.

Sinclair is rightfully so the laughing stock of the industry.

https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2021/ ... yberattack



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WOHO
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Location: 2965 Pickle Rd.

Re: 25-66 impacted by Sinclair ransomware attack

Post by WOHO » Wed Oct 20, 2021 8:33 am

WNWO NBC24 Toledo was a major cluster Sunday night thru Tuesday evening. At least by 10pm Tuesday they managed to finally get the NBC feed back online- but without commercial spots, just a peacock ding every 15 seconds. What a juvenile mess. If they had a full/any technical staff at their stations, Sinclair might have a chance, but with remote control from South Bend, it is a disaster x 2.



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