Hackers publish stolen Berlin city administration data on the darknet

The hackers gave Berlin's administration an ultimatum. When the ransom deadline passed, they began releasing the stolen material in batches on the darknet. About 1.4 million records were reportedly made available for download, according to Berlin broadcaster RBB.

The exposed files include personal and administrative documents such as employment certificates, tender records and staff evaluations. The attackers reportedly taunted data hunters with the message, "Have fun, data hunters."

The attack on Aug. 14 disrupted several Berlin administrations, including housing and environmental offices. For several days, residents could neither apply for housing benefits nor receive payments. The city's mayor, Kai Wegner, said in late August that Berlin was being blackmailed and that he would not give in.

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Have fun, data hunters.

Der Spiegel reported that the extortionists demanded around 2 million euros. Several media outlets identified the suspected attackers as Rhysida, the group that claimed responsibility for an attack on London's British Library in 2023 and reportedly released about 500,000 files after the library refused to pay.

The Berlin data theft occurred one month before municipal elections scheduled for Sept. 20. The attack does not call those elections into question, the report said.

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would not give in