Hacker attack on the Berlin state network: Political reactions and security concerns

A "real data meltdown" - that's what the Green parliamentary group deputy in the Bundestag, Konstantin von Notz, calls the hacker attack in Berlin. If it turns out that protective mechanisms were deliberately not adhered to, he will demand personnel consequences. He also sees the federal government as sharing responsibility: Despite repeated warnings, it has not closed known security gaps, said von Notz in the Handelsblatt.

The CDU security expert Roderich Kiesewetter describes the attack as a “catastrophe of dimensions that cannot yet be foreseen”. He speaks of leaked data, among other things, for overall defense and fears that it could be used by states like Russia or by terrorists for targeted attacks or sabotage.

A spokesman for the federal government has now also stated that it is carrying out an intensive examination of the data systems and is closely following the investigation into the hacker attack.

A hacker group had stolen data from the Berlin state network and used it to blackmail the state government. When the ultimatum expired, the hackers published a data package on Friday.

According to media reports, it also contains highly sensitive information about, among other things, critical infrastructure and the Bundeswehr. Der Spiegel reports that even information about the expansion of the Chancellery is affected.