The official website of Mediaworks, the publisher of several Fidesz-affiliated newspapers, was targeted in a surprising incident on Saturday evening. Visitors to the site were greeted by images of Gergely Gulyás accompanied by the phrase kipukkadt a lufi
, which translates to the balloon has burst
.
The Origin of the Message
The phrase used in the breach is a direct reference to a 2024 reaction by Gergely Gulyás. At that time, Gulyás was responding to a recording released by Péter Magyar, in which Judit Varga discussed how Antal Rogán and others had been removed from the Schadl–Völner files.
In his response, Gulyás wrote, Sok hűhó semmiért. Kipukkadt a lufi! Egy megfélemlített feleséggel folytatott családi vitának semmi köze a közélethez. Magyar Péter az új Márki-Zay! Csak annyi különbség, hogy Márki-Zay Péter nem terrorizálta a feleségét!
Evidence suggests that a screenshot from a video released by the outgoing government’s official page, in which Gulyás repeated these sentiments, may have been duplicated and placed on the mediaworks.hu homepage.
A Pattern of Cybersecurity Breaches
Shortly after the Saturday evening incident was reported, the Mediaworks website became inaccessible, leading to suspicions that the site had been hacked. This event follows the massive data theft by World Leaks just days prior.
This is not the first time the publisher has faced such vulnerabilities. During the week of the 2022 parliamentary elections, several government-linked news sites were hit by hacker attacks. In those instances, opposition messages appeared on the pages before the sites were taken offline.
While Mediaworks filed a formal report regarding the 2022 attacks, the police eventually suspended the investigation after failing to identify the perpetrators.
Potential Next Steps
Given the recent activity of World Leaks, there is a possibility that the stolen data could be released on the dark web, as the group has previously threatened. The publisher may seek further official investigations into the Saturday breach, though previous attempts to find culprits in similar cases were unsuccessful.
The stability of the website remains uncertain as the organization deals with the aftermath of these repeated intrusions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to the Mediaworks website on Saturday?
The website displayed photos of Gergely Gulyás with the text kipukkadt a lufi
before becoming completely inaccessible, likely due to a hack.
What is the significance of the phrase “the balloon has burst”?
It refers to a 2024 statement by Gergely Gulyás regarding a recording released by Péter Magyar about the Schadl–Völner files.
Has Mediaworks been hacked before?
Yes. In 2022, government-linked sites were targeted during election week, and on April 30, 2026, the group World Leaks stole nearly 15 million files from their systems.
Do you believe that repeated cyberattacks on media publishers signal a broader shift in how political conflicts are fought in the digital age?
