After Data Leak, Germany’s Cybersecurity Agency Warns of Heightened Threat

Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security has warned of a heightened cyber threat after criminals published data stolen from Berlin’s administration.

The agency said the release could create various risks for affected people and, ultimately, society. In the political sphere, it highlighted the danger of “hack and leak” operations before elections, in which stolen documents, emails or similar material are released at a time favorable to the attacker and may be placed in a false context. Berlin is due to elect a new state parliament on September 20.

The BSI does not currently believe the attack was politically motivated. It said the hackers were assumed to have acted “solely for financial reasons.” The agency nevertheless warned of targeted phishing attacks following the data breach, particularly against people who had contact with affected individuals or institutions.

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The BSI explicitly points out that the publication of stolen data can create various risks for those affected and ultimately for society.

Data involving critical infrastructure, companies and organizations could also raise the threat level, depending on its sensitivity. The BSI advised those affected to determine whether their data had been leaked, identify what kind of information was published, and change procedures where necessary.

Berlin’s administration confirmed the cyberattack, which became known on August 14. The criminal group Rhysida demanded 30 Bitcoin, worth about 2 million euros. The Berlin Senate said it would not pay. After the deadline passed on Friday afternoon, the group followed through on its threat and published a 5.8-terabyte data package on the dark web.

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solely for financial reasons