Federal agencies join investigation into Berlin government cyberattack

Germany’s federal security agencies have joined the investigation into a cyberattack on parts of Berlin’s administration, as officials try to determine what information the attackers obtained and who may be affected.

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All findings are collected and shared in the Joint Cyber Defense Center.

The Federal Office for Information Security, the Federal Criminal Police Office and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution are supporting the inquiry, a spokesman for the Federal Interior Ministry told dpa. Berlin’s own security authorities are conducting the detailed analysis. “All findings are collected and shared in the Joint Cyber Defense Center,” the spokesman said.

Authorities attribute the leak to Rhysida, a group they have known since mid-2021. The ministry spokesman described it as generally criminal and financially motivated. Mayor Kai Wegner told Bild that the immediate priority after the publication of sensitive data was to reach possible victims “as quickly as possible.” He said Berlin had become “the victim of a serious crime.”

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as quickly as possible

Wegner initially said there were no indications that sensitive information had been taken. He later acknowledged that “the current state of knowledge” had changed, while stressing that officials were still examining exactly what had been lost. The federal government said it had conducted an intensive review of its own systems and that, based on current knowledge, they had not been affected.

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the victim of a serious crime

A Spiegel sample of the leaked material reportedly included information about hazard protection at the Berlin fire service, salary lists, bank details, identity-document scans and confidential personnel matters, including allegations of misconduct and disciplinary issues. Federal and state authorities are continuing to compare information through the National Cyber Defense Center. They said they would introduce measures to protect military security after analyzing potential risks.

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the current state of knowledge