When it comes to supporting Ukraine in its defense against the Russian invasion, Florian Seibel has been unmistakably showing his colors for years: During panel discussions, the co-founder and boss of Quantum Systems showed his sympathies by clearly presenting a blue and a yellow sock, symbolically the flag of Ukraine, to the audience and fellow discussants. In addition, shortly after the start of the Russian war of aggression, his company became one of the first Western suppliers to the Ukrainian military.
Since then, Quantum Systems, based in Gilching, Upper Bavaria, has built tens of thousands of its surveillance drones for Ukraine. The company now produces on site with several hundred employees. In addition, Seibel has launched a German-Ukrainian joint venture with the company Quantum Frontline Industries, which produces drones developed in Ukraine in Germany. The manager had already admitted in the past that he and his company were of course taking a risk with this clear positioning. Now the company has been the target of a targeted cyber attack.
According to BR information, the attack was cleverly orchestrated. The aim was apparently to hit not only Quantum Systems itself, but also the operators of corresponding drones, including the Bundeswehr and, above all, the Ukrainian military. Unknown people had installed malware on Quantum servers at the end of October. This so-called malware would have infected the drones during an update, making them at least temporarily unusable. Apparently this could be prevented.
When asked by BR, Quantum Systems said the fleet was in regular operation worldwide. There are also no effects on production, development or usability. According to the company, the Bundeswehr was also the only customer that took the Bavarian drones out of circulation for a few days as a precaution. The German Defense Ministry did not want to comment.
The search for the perpetrators is now underway. According to its own information, the company works closely with the security authorities, including the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the military intelligence service MAD and the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI).
Quantum Systems initially spoke of “hostile” actors. According to security circles, there are many indications of a Russian background, although experience has shown that it is very difficult to prove such a suspicion in court. From the perspective of Bavarian investigators, it is also proven that Russian clients were behind an attempted - and ultimately failed - arson attack in which so-called disposable agents wanted to attack two defense companies in the middle of Munich a few months ago.
In recent years, such so-called hybrid attacks have increased significantly, for example acts of sabotage, disinformation campaigns on social media or cyber attacks. From the perspective of the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, the recent hacker attack on Quantum Systems is just one of many examples of such hybrid attacks against important institutions in Germany.
On the sidelines of an appointment at a robotics company, State Secretary Tobias Gotthardt (Free Voters) said that this incident once again shows the extent of the threat. Society must therefore be prepared. Gotthardt has been leading the ministry as interim head since the sudden death of Hubert Aiwanger.
