USA Today owner Gannett warns workers of possible breach

Gannett, the publisher of USA Today and other newspapers, said Tuesday that it has warned about 18,000 current and former employees that hackers may have had access to their personal information after the email accounts of people who work in its human resources department were broken into.

The company said there is no indication sensitive information was taken, but it can't be sure.

Gannett said it learned in late March that several people in its human resource department were victims of a phishing attack. It said hackers accessed employee email accounts and were able to send other phishing emails. Phishing is a type of internet fraud in which scammers typically send emails or other messages to try and trick people into giving out personal information.

Gannett said there was also an unsuccessful attempt to wire transfer corporate money.

The company said it notified authorities and is offering current and former employees free credit monitoring service.

Gannett Co., based in McLean, Virginia, publishes more than 100 newspapers around the country, including the Detroit Free Press, the Des Moines Register and the Asbury Park Press.