Almeida Law Group is investigating a data breach at Questo, Inc. The breach occurred on October 1st–9th, 2025 and was discovered on June 22nd, 2026. If you were affected, contact Almeida Law Group.
About Questo, Inc.
Questo, Inc. is a newspaper publishing company headquartered at 725 Broad Street, Augusta, Georgia 30901. Business directories and company records link Questo to Morris Communications Company LLC and The Augusta Chronicle, sharing the same address, phone number, and chairman, William Morris III. Morris Communications is a privately held, family-owned media company with holdings in newspaper and magazine publishing, outdoor advertising, radio broadcasting, book publishing, and online services. The Texas Attorney General filing classifies Questo as a business in the retail or merchant category.
What Happened?
Questo, Inc. was listed in a Texas Attorney General data security breach report (record BR-0005178) published on July 17th, 2026. The filing reports that a breach affecting 11,950 individuals occurred between October 1st, 2025 and October 9th, 2025, and was discovered on June 22nd, 2026 — approximately nine months after the breach took place. Consumers were notified on or around July 17th, 2026 by mail, email, publication in print media, and posting on a company or special website. The compromised information includes names, addresses, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, other government-issued ID numbers, financial account information, and medical information.
According to Ransomware.live, the Akira ransomware group claimed responsibility for an attack on Morris Communications Company LLC, posting its claim to the dark web on or around November 3rd, 2025, and alleging that approximately 84GB of data was obtained. These are attacker-side claims and have not been independently confirmed by the company or a regulator. ClaimDepot, a litigation investigation site, reported the same breach date range of October 1st through October 9th, 2025 and noted that Akira claimed responsibility — corroborating the timeline reported in the Texas Attorney General filing. As of July 17th, 2026, no confirmed class action filing had been found, though ClaimDepot published a breach lawsuit investigation page on or around July 15th, 2026.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Company or Organization: Questo, Inc.
- Industry: Newspaper publishing / Media
- Location: 725 Broad Street, Augusta, Georgia 30901
- Incident type: Ransomware attack (Akira group claimed responsibility; not company-confirmed)
- Date of breach: October 1st, 2025 – October 9th, 2025
- Date breach discovered: June 22nd, 2026
- Date of consumer notification: July 17th, 2026
- Total persons affected: 11,950
- Litigation status: Breach lawsuit investigation published by ClaimDepot on or around July 15th, 2026; no confirmed class action filing as of July 17th, 2026
- Source: Texas Attorney General data security breach report, BR-0005178 (https://oag.my.site.com/datasecuritybreachreport/apex/DataSecurityReportsPage#BR-0005178); Ransomware.live (https://www.ransomware.live/id/TW9ycmlzIENvbW11bmljYXRpb25zIENvbXBhbnkgTExDQGFraXJh); ClaimDepot (https://www.claimdepot.com/investigations/morris-communications-data-breach-2026)
What Should You Do?
If you received a notice from Questo, Inc. or believe you may have been affected, take steps now to protect yourself. Enroll in any identity theft protection services offered by the company before the enrollment deadline stated in your notice. Place a fraud alert or credit freeze with the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to make it harder for someone to open new accounts in your name. Monitor your existing financial accounts closely for unfamiliar charges or activity, and request your free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com. Because medical information was identified as compromised in this breach, also review your Explanation of Benefits statements and request copies of your medical records to check for any services you did not receive. If you suspect your information is being misused, visit IdentityTheft.gov for guidance on reporting and recovery steps.
Your Legal Rights
If your personal or health information was involved in this breach, you may have legal rights depending on the facts of the incident and the law in your state. Almeida Law Group represents consumers in data breach and privacy litigation and can help you evaluate whether you may have a claim. Contact us at (708) 529-5418 or through our contact page for a free case evaluation.
