Berlin Senate sets up coordination unit to handle cyberattack

Berlin’s Senate Chancellery has created a new coordination unit to manage the aftermath of a cyberattack that exposed data from parts of the city administration. Florian Hauer, the state secretary for digitalization, will lead the unit.

The body will coordinate the review and assessment of stolen data. It will also support the two affected Senate departments as they inform and advise residents and companies whose information may have been compromised.

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We will inform, advise and support the affected employees, Berliners and Berlin residents as quickly as possible.

Berlin’s state criminal police office, the affected departments, the state data-protection authority, the state commissioner for information security and other security agencies will take part. Mayor Kai Wegner said the city would inform, advise and support affected employees and Berlin residents as quickly as possible.

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grossly negligently

Senate spokeswoman Christine Richter said people normally would be contacted by letter or email. Employees would also be notified if other people were named in their records. The Senate Chancellery has not identified the specific information published online.

The attack resulted in the publication of about 1.44 million files, totaling 5.8 terabytes, on the darknet. The Rhysida hacking group had reportedly taken the data unnoticed in mid-August and demanded a ransom of 30 Bitcoin, valued at about 2 million euros. Forensic examinations and investigations continue. IT expert Manuel Atug accused Berlin of acting “grossly negligently,” while the Senate said security measures had been strengthened and that further structural consequences would be assessed after the immediate crisis is handled.

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What further structural consequences are necessary will become clear after the current situation has been dealt with.