In brief
Berlin’s mayor, Kai Wegner, announced that the city will refuse to meet a recent ransom demand from a hacking group that stole precious data from municipal systems. Attackers, likely linked to Russia and Eastern Europe, have threatened to auction the data unless 30 bitcoin (£1.7 m, about €2 m) is paid. The breach forced the shutdown of housing‑benefit and transport services and exposed sensitive personnel files. Federal police, prosecutors and security agencies are investigating the scope of the leaks as elections approach. The incident underscores growing cyber threats to public infrastructure worldwide.
Berlin Mayor Declares City Will Not Yield to Hackers’ Ransom Demand
Berlin’s mayor, Kai Wegner, spoke this morning after an overnight cyberattack forced the city’s online services to suspend. According to Wegner, the city will not negotiate with the hackers demanding a ransom of 30 bitcoin – roughly €2 million (£1.7 million).
The attackers, linked to the cyber‑crime group Rhysida, are alleged to operate from Russia and Eastern Europe. The group gained access to sensitive data including contracts, personnel files and personal contact details, and has said it will auction the 5.79 terabytes of stolen material in a week if Berlin does not comply.
Officials say the initial data breach began between 7 and 12 August. On 14 August, two departmental networks – covering housing benefits and system payments – were shut down, preventing residents from filing applications for several days. Subsequent investigations revealed further leaks in Berlin’s transport and environment departments.
Wegner emphasized that state police, prosecutors and federal security services are working with “great urgency” to identify the perpetrators and assess the extent of compromised data. While authorities have not named suspects, the Rhysida group’s dark‑web site has posted screenshots of stolen files and urges a countdown leading to an auction.
This cyber‑attack now comes about a month before Berlin’s local elections, raising concerns about electoral integrity. However, city and state senators have stated that election infrastructure remains secure.
The incident follows a similar 2023 raid on the British Museum, where the Rhysida group disrupted services and released visitor and staff data to the dark web after the museum refused to pay a ransom.
Berlin’s resilience, according to the mayor, will remain unshaken. “Berlin will not be blackmailed,” Wegner reiterated on Friday, as the city worked to restore affected services and protect citizens’ data.
