Berlin will not pay ransom after the hack of city systems

City authorities said the attack affected Berlin’s online systems and forced some of them to shut down while investigators determine exactly what data was stolen. Mayor Kai Wegner said that the state police, the prosecutor’s office, and federal security services are working on the case with utmost urgency.

According to the authorities, the first data leak in the city administration occurred between August 7 and 12, and on August 14 the networks of two departments were disconnected. Because of this, it was impossible for several days to submit applications for housing benefits and payments.

A forensic examination later revealed new leaks in Berlin’s transport and environment department. The city hall warned that involvement of personal or other non-public data cannot be ruled out.

Responsibility for the attack, according to reports, was claimed by the Rhysida group, which is believed to be linked to Russia and Eastern Europe. On its website, it said that in seven days it would begin an auction of the stolen 5.79 terabytes of data, and Der Spiegel reports a ransom demand of 30 bitcoins, or about €2 million. The cyberattack occurred about a month before the elections in Berlin, but Berlin Senator Iris Springer said that the election infrastructure was not compromised.

Sources

• Material: bbc.co.uk