Berlin faces bitcoin blackmail after mid-August cyberattack

Berlin is grappling with a significant cyber blackmail attempt after a data breach occurred during a hacker attack in mid-August. The perpetrators, identified by German weekly Der Spiegel as the Rhysida hacker group, are demanding a ransom of 30 bitcoins, which is currently valued at approximately 2 million euros.

Kai Wegner, the mayor of Berlin, announced on Friday that the city is a victim of a serious crime. He confirmed that the demand was received on Thursday evening and firmly stated that Berlin will not comply. "Berlin will not give in to blackmail," Wegner declared.

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Berlin is the victim of a serious crime.

The cyberattack, which took place on August 14, disrupted several city administrations, including those responsible for housing and environment. For a week, these departments were cut off from the network, making it impossible to process and disburse housing benefits. Initially, authorities claimed no sensitive data was stolen, but they later admitted that personal data may have been compromised.

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Berlin will not give in to blackmail.

According to Der Spiegel, the Rhysida group has threatened to publish the stolen data if the ransom is not paid within a week. This group has a history of similar attacks, including one on the British Library in late 2023, where they demanded 20 bitcoins. In that instance, the library refused to pay, and Rhysida subsequently leaked around 500,000 files containing personal data of visitors, subscribers, and staff onto the dark web.

Despite the ongoing investigation by security services to apprehend the attackers and determine the extent of the data theft, Berlin's deputy mayor, Iris Spranger, assured that the upcoming local elections on September 20 will proceed securely. "The ballot is 100% secure," she stated.

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The ballot is 100% secure.