Berlin Senate Chancellery recommends criminal complaint following possible data publication by hackers

The Senate Chancellery emphasized that a criminal complaint serves primarily to officially document the incident and enable any further investigations. Those affected should preserve evidence such as screenshots or links and make them available to the investigating authorities.

Political dimension and security authorities

Experts point out that the deletion of data already published on the internet is technically very difficult. Those affected could also become victims of identity theft, which is why a prompt complaint is recommended.

Cybersecurity experts see parallels to previous incidents in which similar methods were used. The fact that the perpetrators are demanding ransom suggests a typical approach by cybercriminals who use data as leverage.

Should the attack be attributable to a specific actor, this would have far-reaching political consequences. In security circles, there has long been discussion about the origin of such attacks, particularly with regard to possible links to state agencies.

The security authorities in Berlin are working at full speed to clarify the incident, according to their own statements. The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) is also involved, according to the Senate Chancellery, to assess the impact of the attack.

Plans to strengthen cybersecurity

Meanwhile, government representatives have commented on the security policy consequences. The incident is being taken very seriously and all measures are being examined to better protect the administration's IT infrastructure, the Senate Chancellery said.

The coalition agreement of CDU, CSU and SPD provides for further development of the national cybersecurity strategy, strengthening the BSI, and expanding it into a central point of contact for information and cybersecurity issues. These plans could gain new urgency as a result of the current incident.

Recommendations for those affected

Cybersecurity specialists advise affected citizens to monitor their online accounts and personal data particularly carefully. Anomalies such as unknown logins, phishing emails, or unusual account transactions should be reported immediately.

The Senate Chancellery announced that it would inform the public about new developments. A citizen hotline for questions relating to the hacker attack has been set up, it said.