In Berlin, hackers published 1.4 million records after authorities refused to pay ransom
In Berlin, Germany, the hacker group Rhysida published about 1.4 million records from the city administration’s systems on the dark web following a failed extortion attempt. The attackers demanded 30 bitcoins — approximately €2 million — from the city authorities, but Berlin refused to pay, Deutsche Welle reports.
Since the beginning of September, personnel files of employees, official correspondence, payslips and scanned identity documents have appeared on the dark web. Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner said that the state of Berlin would not yield to blackmail.
Access through a phishing email
The attack affected two city government units: the public works and transport departments. According to DW, the hackers gained access to protected data between August 7 and 14 and remained unnoticed.
They gained access to the network after an employee of the transport authority responded to a phishing email. The Rhysida group, believed to originate from Eastern Europe, has been attacking government institutions in various countries since 2023. It claims responsibility for nearly 280 attacks, mainly in the United States.
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Risks for people and infrastructure
Experts believe that the potentially compromised data may include personal information of employees and Berlin residents, as well as information on combined heat and power plants, fuel storage facilities, backup power supply systems, prisons and water treatment plants. Chaos Computer Club representative Joachim Selzer noted that the large volume of personal information could make it easier for attackers to impersonate other people.
Berlin’s Senate set up a coordination office involving the city’s administrative bodies and established contact with Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security. Administrative employees were instructed to change their passwords, while the authorities promised to inform and support those affected as soon as possible.
Berlin authorities also said that the attack had not affected the state parliament elections scheduled for September 20. According to the state election commissioner, Stephan Bröchler, the systems and procedures for preparing and conducting the vote, as well as announcing preliminary results, remain unchanged.
