Cyber ​​attack on the Brandenburg Memorials Foundation: emergency operation set up

After the cyber attack on its systems, the Brandenburg Memorials Foundation is setting up emergency operations. “It will be a longer process until full ability to work is restored,” said a spokesman for the German Press Agency Foundation. It turned out that it was a financially motivated attack by cybercriminals who exploited vulnerabilities in the firewall. The foundation immediately called in the police and did not pay any money, said the spokesman.

The spokesman said that data had been leaked, but the extent was still unclear. Cyber ​​experts are continuing to examine the state of internal systems. The attack on the memorial IT was discovered on August 5th. It is still possible to visit the memorials without restrictions.

Seven locations affected - including Sachsenhausen and Ravensbrück

The foundation had pointed out that there could be an increase in phishing and spam emails or attempts at invoice fraud. Internal administrative data could be affected, but also data from business partners and visitors as well as agreements and documents. “We therefore ask you to pay greater attention to suspicious emails, especially those that identify the foundation as the supposed sender.”

Seven memorial sites are affected - including the Sachsenhausen Memorial and the Ravensbrück Memorial - as well as the office. The foundation speaks of a ransomware attack. This is malware that encrypts data and systems. The cybercriminals' goal was to extort ransom money.