BERLIN — The governing mayor of Berlin has stated that the German capital will refuse to pay a ransom following a major cyber-attack that compromised municipal networks and exposed sensitive files earlier this month.
Mayor Kai Wegner addressed the situation on Friday, making it clear that municipal authorities will not yield to extortion attempts from digital criminals. The ransom demand arrived on Thursday evening, though local officials have not officially disclosed the exact financial sum requested by the hackers. Media reports from Germany indicate that the perpetrators are demanding 30 bitcoin, which equates to roughly two million euros.
The digital intrusion forced the temporary shutdown of several online municipal systems earlier in August. Local departments responsible for processing housing benefits and financial assistance experienced multi-day outages while technical teams scrambled to contain the breach. Subsequent forensic examinations uncovered additional unauthorized access within the transport and environment departments.
While local authorities have refrained from officially identifying the culprits, investigative media outlets point toward a syndicate known as Rhysida. The group, believed to operate out of eastern Europe and Russia, reportedly claims to have extracted nearly six terabytes of municipal information. According to reports, the hackers have posted a countdown timer on an online portal threatening to auction the stolen files if their financial demands are ignored.
The mayor's office acknowledged that personal information and other confidential documents may have been compromised during the breach. State police, prosecutors, and federal security agencies are currently conducting an intensive joint investigation to trace the perpetrators and evaluate the full extent of the data loss. Officials have not specified the exact nature of all files accessed, but dark web monitoring suggests the stolen material includes administrative contracts, staff records, and personal contact lists.
The Rhysida collective has a documented history of high-profile digital extortion dating back to its emergence in 2023. Security analysts note the organization has previously targeted numerous corporate entities and public institutions globally, including a notable breach of the British Museum. In that prior incident, the institution refused to meet ransom demands, prompting the syndicate to publish hundreds of thousands of stolen files online.
The security incident in Berlin unfolds just weeks ahead of scheduled state elections. However, regional officials have moved quickly to reassure the public that the voting infrastructure remains secure and unaffected by the digital breach. Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely as the hackers' countdown timer approaches its deadline.
Reporting based on coverage first published by BBC News. Read the original report at BBC News.
