Berlin Administration Remains Offline for Now Following Cyberattack

Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) commented on Thursday on the current state of the investigation. According to the current state of the investigation, only data that is also publicly accessible has been exfiltrated, the CDU politician said. There are currently no indications that sensitive personal or internal data has fallen into the hands of the attackers. However, the investigations are ongoing, so this assessment may still change.

Impact on Services and Citizens

It remains unclear who is behind the attack and through what vector the perpetrators gained access to the systems. The exact time at which the attack was detected is also not publicly known. The Senate Chancellery and the Berlin state network are working together with external security experts to examine the traces left by the attack in the interconnected systems. As long as this analysis continues, the administration's network connections remain severed for security reasons.

For citizens, the preemptive shutdown means that various online services of the city are currently unavailable or available only with significant restrictions. Applications that are processed digitally via the administration's portals cannot currently be processed as usual. Telephone inquiries and in-person visits to district and specialist offices can also only be handled on a limited basis, because staff do not have access to their usual specialized procedures.

Education and Participation Package and Housing Benefit

Special assistance such as the Education and Participation Package (Bildungs- und Teilhabepaket), through which families receive subsidies for, among other things, school outings, class trips, or midday meals at daycare centers, is also affected. Applications concerning these benefits currently cannot be submitted or processed via the usual digital channels. As a result, it is precisely those services targeted at children and young people from lower-income families that are coming to a standstill.

Access to housing benefit (Wohngeld), which is administered in Berlin through the administration, is similarly restricted. Applicants must expect longer processing times. The administration asks those affected to contact the responsible offices directly for urgent matters and to submit requests in writing where possible until the IT systems are available again.

Parallel to the technical work, internal information chains are running. According to its own statements, the Senate Chancellery intends to keep administrative staff updated on interim steps and new findings. A specific date for when the systems can be gradually brought back online has not yet been announced. The security of the procedures takes priority over a rapid restart, the administration said.

Look at the IT Security of the Administration

The incident also illustrates the vulnerability of large administrative networks: a single successful attack can cripple dozens of agencies simultaneously. IT security experts have long pointed out that municipal networks in particular are a worthwhile target for criminals and state actors, because sensitive data of many people converges there. The Berlin case is part of a growing number of cyberattacks on German administrations and municipalities in recent years.

With regard to the ongoing investigations, the authorities are asking the public for patience. Further information will follow as soon as the forensic analysis is completed and reliable findings on the course and possible consequences of the attack are available. Until then, the Berlin state network will remain a particularly tightly secured area in which every access is logged and reviewed, the Senate Chancellery stated.

According to the administration, emergency services and immediate emergency communications are not affected by the shutdown. The city's energy and water supply also runs on separate systems, disconnected from the state network. As a result, Berlin's critical infrastructure remains operational at the current time, while the digital administration is gradually being brought back up.