Information security in Germany

Main article: Cybercrime and cyber conflicts: Europe

2022: Germany's annual losses from IT crimes estimated at 203 billion euros

At the end of 2022, the total damage from cybercrime in Germany amounted to approximately €203 billion, which is 6.5% less than in the previous year. Such data in mid-August 2023 was published by the German company Statista.

In 2022, 136,865 incidents were registered in Germany. For comparison: in 2021, the number of cyber attacks in this country was 146,363 - then the intensity of hacker intrusions rose by more than 12% compared to 2020. However, according to the report, despite the decrease in the total number of cyber attacks in 2022, their complexity has increased. The number of attacks organized from other states rose by 8% on an annualized basis.

The total damage from cybercrime amounted to approximately €203 billion

The total damage from cyber intrusions in Germany in 2022 was about twice the amount of losses recorded in 2019. The country's law enforcement agencies point to an increase in the severity of the consequences of the attacks. The observed picture, as noted, is partly related to the current geopolitical situation. Chinese hacker groups are behind many cyber attacks aimed at the German corporate sector, according to Bitkom.

In the total amount of losses incurred by German companies and organizations in 2022, about €41.5 billion fell on disruption of computer systems and theft of information. Enterprises suffered the same damage due to downtime as a result of attacks and the loss of competitive advantage. Approximately €18.8 billion amounted to damage from violation of intellectual property rights. Costs in legal disputes are fixed at €16.2 billion. The investigation of cyber incidents and the elimination of the consequences accounted for about €10.1 billion. The loss of revenue from sales of products is estimated at €21.1 billion.^[1]

2021: Germany announces first 'cyber crash' over hacker attack

In mid-July 2021, the computer network of the German district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld was "paralyzed" by hackers. The district declared an emergency regime in order to facilitate bureaucratic procedures and provide citizens with access to federal assistance in the current conditions.

According to preliminary data, attackers used ransomware viruses during the attack. For this reason, the regional authorities temporarily cannot pay social benefits and promptly process appeals received from citizens. 157 thousand people live in the district.

First "cyber crash" announced in Germany due to hacker attack

The Federal Office for information security Germany (BSI), which is investigating the incident, called it Germany's first "cyber crash." There have already been attacks on districts and municipalities in Germany, but so far none of them have declared a "disaster situation." According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, experts are trying to remove virus from computer networks, unlock data and restore systems. Police and BSI experts are trying to establish the source, cyber attacks as well as analyzing the virus for subsequent neutralization. Experts hope to submit an initial estimate by July 19.

Officials say multiple servers were affected in the attack, but the county immediately shut down critical systems to avoid further data breaches. So far, no information has been provided on how much data was compromised by the attack.

A BSI spokesman said other German areas and municipalities had also been hit by cyber attacks in the past, but none had been so catastrophic. Experts are wary of the increasing attacks on state networks and institutions that can paralyze the activities of entire districts and industries. It is likely that in the future the number of such cyber attacks will only grow.^[2]

2019

Discovery of 200 hosting provider servers from the darknet

On September 30, 2019, it became known that the state central office for combating cybercrime (Die Landeszentralstelle Cybercrime) of the General Prosecutor's Office Koblenz (Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Koblenz), after many years of investigation, neutralized a large hosting network of four marketplaces on the darknet that offered various illegal goods, including narcotic drugs, stolen data, fake documents, as well as child pornography.

An investigation in the city of Traben-Trarbach Germany found about 200 servers of the so-called "bulletproof" hosting provider, which were located in a former NATO bunker. Law enforcement officers arrested seven service operators suspected of the series, cyber attacks including four citizens, Netherlands two citizens Germany and one citizen. Bulgaria

Police believe that this data center was used three years ago as part of a cyber attack on the German national telecom operator Deutsche Telekom.

The discovered server also hosted the Wall Street Market's second-largest darknet marketplace, officials said. European Union USA Authorities and shut it down in May 2019 as it was used to smuggle stolen data, forged documents computer harmful , programs and drugs.

Bulletproof hosting is a virtual hosting or dedicated server whose owners are loyal to the content of the sites located on it and do not respond to requests from copyright holders and other interested parties. In this regard, such servers are very popular with spammers, online casino operators and pornography distributors^[3].

Hackers steal thousands of Angela Merkel emails

In early May 2020, Der Spiegel magazine reported that hackers (presumably from Russia) hacked Angela Merkel's email back in 2015 . Read more here.

Germany will share its cyber capabilities with NATO

Germany has joined the ranks of NATO countries that have provided the alliance with cyber capabilities to assist in the fight against cyber breaches and electronic warfare, Germany reported in February 2019^[4] Agence France-Presse news agency^[5].

NATO defines cyberspace as an area of ​ ​ conflict along with land, sea and air, in connection with the increase in electronic attacks by states, cyberpunters and the so-called "hacktivists," as well as taking into account the possible consequences of threats.

"Just as we provide our army, air force and naval forces for NATO, we are now also able to provide cyber capabilities within our national and legal framework, ​​ said German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen at a summit of defense ministers held in Brussels on February 14.

Among the countries ready to provide the alliance with their offensive cyber weapons are already listed,,, the USA Great Britain Denmark Netherlands and Estonia. It is assumed that the threat of a counterattack could scare off potential aggressors.

The goals of offensive cyber operations can be any objects connected to the Internet - from computers and smartphones to devices that control key mechanisms at power plants and in transport networks.

2018: "Russian hackers" discovered on German government network

German special services revealed a large-scale cyber attack aimed at the German government. Malware was detected in the networks of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense of Germany in December 2017, but according to intelligence agencies, they were infected at least a year before. This was reported in February 2018 by the German news agency DPA, citing informed sources.

According to the agency's sources, hackers managed to steal confidential^[6] documents from the government's servers^[7].

We can confirm that the Federal Information Security Administration (BSI) and intelligence services are investigating an incident involving the hacking of federal government networks," an interior ministry spokesman said.

Hackers reportedly infiltrated the government's Informationsverbund Berlin-Bonn (IVBB) network, a specially designed communication platform that is separate from other public networks to provide an additional layer of security.

2017

Germany may amend the Constitution to retaliate against hackers

The German government is considering amending the country's Constitution to retaliate against hackers attacking private computer networks, Reuters news agency reports. Germany ^[8].

According to a representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, the relevant reforms are planned to be completed in 2018. Possible measures to counter hackers may mean disconnecting servers used by attackers in attacks, experts say.

According to Secretary of State Klaus Vitt, "significant legal changes will be required" for "retaliatory hacking" to be possible. "Presumably, it will be necessary to amend the Constitution, since this is a very serious issue. It must be resolved by the end of next year, no later, "Witt said.

Witt also added that much will depend on the results of coalition negotiations in the German parliament, during which, among other things, cybersecurity issues will be discussed.

Berlin declares war on Chinese hackers

In September 2017, it became known about the plans of the German authorities to take measures to protect local production companies from Chinese hackers. Berlin thought about this after numerous cyber attacks and huge losses from them.

About 65% of German manufacturing and IT businesses experienced cyber attacks in 2016, according to insurance company Hiscox. The Federal Office for the Protection of the German Constitution (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, BfV; performs counterintelligence functions) estimates the damage to local business from electronic crimes (data theft, espionage and sabotage) at 55 billion euros in 2016. In 2015, losses were measured at 51 billion euros.

In September 2017, it became known about the plans of the German authorities to take measures to protect local production companies from Chinese hackers

Germany's economy is the focus of industrial espionage. Over the past two years, the number of attacks has increased, "said Hans-Georg Maaßen, head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

As representatives of German intelligence told The Wall Street Journal, small and medium-sized companies, thanks to which Germany is considered an export power, have become an attractive target for foreign hackers because of their value and poor protection of intellectual property.

WSJ, referring to data from Western intelligence agencies and a company specializing in security, writes that cyber attacks European and American companies are led by units of the People's China  Liberation Army or the Ministry of National Security of the PRC.

After huge losses from cyberattacks borne by German companies and industrial groups, the German government decided to move to protect businesses from Chinese hackers and criminal gangs. At the same time, the measures that Berlin is going to take are not specified.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not hear about Berlin's statements about protection against Chinese hackers and reiterated Beijing's position on "strong opposition to hacking."^[9]

German Air Force Cyber ​ ​ Initiative

In July 2017, the leadership of the military aviation security unit Germany began a new initiative to counter cyber threats after a study was released showing that hackers could hack military aircraft with inexpensive equipment.

A spokesman for the German defense ministry told Reuters that the development of the new "aviation cyber expertise" will cover all kinds of areas - from increasing awareness of the consequences of hacker attacks to technical research and equipping aircraft with protective systems.

German Air Force declares war on hackers amid threats of plane cyber disruption

Secretary of State of the Ministry of Defense Katrin Suder supported this idea, which the head of the German Military Aviation Administration Ansgar Rieks voiced in a letter sent in June 2017, the German Defense Ministry said.

Earlier in July 2017, Ansgar Rieks announced his dissatisfaction with the fact that scientists at the German Aerospace Center publicly showed ways to gain remote control over aircraft using devices worth only 5 thousand euros.

It scares me, which I wrote to the Secretary of State. I also said that nothing is being done to eliminate this gross negligence, "he said during a conference in Bückkeburg (Germany), adding that this problem is very important for civil aviation as well.

Military chiefs need to focus not only on potential problems in the software, but also on "keeping planes from the ground or passengers from being captured in the air," Riex said.

Earlier in 2017, Germany's military command launched a new cyber group that brought together all such units dispersed across various military forces. The structure created will also participate in a new aviation cyber initiative.

In recent years, concern for cyberattacks on aircraft has increased with a growing number of hacker attacks on strategically important sites. Many experts fear that the aviation industry is not keeping pace with the development of technologies that cyber criminals can use to hack into computers to which aircraft are connected, Reuters notes.^[10]

Special cyber division in Germany against "Russian hackers"

In Germany, a cyber unit has appeared in the ranks of the armed forces, the activities of which will be aimed at confronting Russian hackers. The new structure will number 13,500 cyber defenders, slightly less than the German Marine Corps, which has 16,000 fighters.

Commenting on the need to create a cyber unit, German deputies noted that in the first quarter of 2017 alone, 284 thousand cyber attacks were sent against the Bundeswehr. ^[11].

Germany will increase spending on cyber defense

Germany plans to increase military spending to 2% of GDP by 2024. German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen considers cyber defense an important area of ​ ​ development. Currently, the country spends 1.2% of GDP on defense^[12].

Angela Merkel's military spokesman for the Christian Democrats in parliament, Henning Otte, told Reuters that an increase in spending to 2% of GDP is necessary to upgrade and modernize the equipment of Germany's military forces. Ursula von der Leyen classifies multibillion-dollar missile defense systems, multi-purpose ships, as well as unmanned drones to strengthen the sphere of cyber defense as priority military purchases.

In the next 10-15 years, the country plans to invest 130 billion euros in the military industry. It is also planned to increase the number of both military personnel and civilian personnel. Thus, the number of military personnel in 7 years will reach 198 thousand people.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Germany, as a member of NATO, is obliged to fulfill all its obligations. In the near future, Germany plans to spend 30 billion euros on defense.

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