Berlin Confirms State Network Breach, Refuses Ransom
Berlin confirmed its state administrative network was compromised in August. The city is refusing extortion demands, with attacker identity unconfirmed.
Morgan "airgap" ReyesConfirmed: Berlin’s state government suffered a breach of its state administrative network in August. An extortion demand followed. The city will not pay.
Official detail on scope remains limited. What is confirmed, per Berlin’s own announcement: unauthorized access to the city’s administrative systems, followed by a demand the city characterizes as extortion. Attacker identity: unconfirmed.
German law enforcement guidance recommends against ransom payments. Berlin’s refusal is consistent with that position. No technical remediation details were included in the official announcement.
This follows a pattern of institution-level targeting this year. Qilin ransomware operators claimed responsibility for a breach at the ATF in August, which the Bureau characterized as a “major incident.” McKesson disclosed a breach this week with ShinyHunters claiming access to patient records. Colombia’s Justice Ministry was hit with ransomware in August as well.
What remains open: the scope of data affected, whether personal records were exfiltrated, and whether the attacker will be publicly identified.
Full details and the city’s statement via The Hacker News.
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