Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced Friday that his office has opened an investigation into Lee Enterprises following a February cyberattack that compromised the personal information of nearly 40,000 employees and subscribers, including an undisclosed number of Montanans.
Lee Enterprises, based in Davenport, Iowa, owns several major newspapers in Montana, including the Helena Independent Record, Billings Gazette, Missoulian, Montana Standard, and Ravalli Republic. The company also operates other publications and digital news platforms nationwide.
The breach, which occurred on February 3, temporarily disrupted both digital and print operations. Hackers reportedly stole sensitive customer and employee data during the incident.
“Identity theft associated with data breaches threatens Montanans’ financial security,” Attorney General Knudsen said in a statement. “It is my job as Attorney General to protect Montanans by ensuring companies that collect and store our personal and financial information do so responsibly and comply with all applicable laws.”
Although Montana law requires companies to report data breaches affecting state residents to the Montana Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Office, the Lee Enterprises incident has not appeared on the office’s public data breach list. A department spokesperson confirmed, however, that Lee submitted the required notification.
The Attorney General’s office has issued a civil investigative demand seeking a detailed account from Lee Enterprises. The company has until July 18 to respond.
Lee Enterprises said it plans to fully cooperate with the investigation.
Knudsen’s office emphasized that the investigation aims to determine whether Lee Enterprises complied with Montana’s data protection and consumer notification laws. If violations are found, the company could face legal or financial consequences under state consumer protection statutes.