Berlin Senate Chancellery: No comment on extortionists

Berlin's state government is maintaining silence regarding the demands of extortionists involved in a significant hacker attack on the city's administrative data network. Two weeks after the cyberattack became public, officials are refusing to disclose details about the attackers' financial requests or the specific data compromised.

A spokesperson for the Senate Chancellery stated, "For investigative tactical reasons, we will not comment on this at the present time." Investigations into the cyberattack, which was first reported on August 14, are ongoing. The group Rhysida, known for using malicious software in extortion attempts and active for several years, is reportedly responsible for the attack.

According to a report by "Der Spiegel," the extortionists have threatened to publish data if Berlin does not meet their payment demands. The attackers allegedly obtained a large volume of sensitive information, including details from administrative offense proceedings and passwords. The ransom demand is reportedly 30 Bitcoin, which is currently valued at approximately two million euros.

Earlier on Friday, Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner and Interior Senator Iris Spranger addressed the extortion attempt after a special Senate session. While they offered no specific details, Wegner emphasized the city's stance: "The state of Berlin will not be blackmailed." Following the cyberattack, the traffic and construction administrations, which were affected, were temporarily disconnected from the state network. Initially, it was believed only publicly accessible data had been leaked, but the Senate Chancellery admitted on Wednesday that this was not the case.