High threat: IT basic protection to fend off cyberattacks in Thuringia

The state administration of Thuringia is confronting a significant and evolving cyber threat landscape, blocking millions of potentially harmful emails each year. Digitalization State Secretary Milen Starke emphasized the ongoing challenge, noting, "The attacks on our IT systems remain at a high level and are becoming increasingly insidious. We must constantly review and develop our IT defense capabilities."

Data from the Digital Ministry reveals the scale of the threat. In 2025, approximately 35.1 million emails were processed, with a staggering 24.1 million rejected centrally for security reasons. An additional 371,000 emails were flagged as spam, and malware was detected in 63,000 instances. The trend continued into the first half of 2026, with 7.2 million out of 14.9 million emails blocked.

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The attacks on our IT systems remain at a high level and are becoming increasingly insidious. We must constantly review and develop our IT defense capabilities.

Starke announced initiatives to bolster IT security within Thuringia's municipalities. The goal is to establish a uniform, high level of security across all local government administrations by introducing standardized IT basic protection measures. This move aims to equip communities with better defenses against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

The ministry attributes the heightened security situation, particularly in the past year, to the volatile global political climate. Ongoing conflicts, such as Russia's war against Ukraine and tensions in the Middle East, are cited as factors that increase Germany's vulnerability as a supporter of Ukraine. The ministry reported that in 2025, out of 4,174,564 detected attacks, there was an initial suspicion of espionage attempts, all of which were successfully identified and repelled.

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For a uniformly high level of security in the municipalities, IT basic protection is to be introduced in all municipal administrations.