Berlin Senate hit by Rhysida ransomware attack demanding €2 million
This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.
Hackers attacked the Berlin Senate and demanded a ransom for stolen data, Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner said on Friday, August 28. The city will not pay, Wegner said, after a morning meeting with police, intelligence services and cyber defense centers. The group Rhysida claims to have stolen nearly 6 terabytes of data and demands 30 bitcoins, about €2 million.
Key Facts
- Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner confirmed the ransom demand on August 28 and said the city will not pay.
- The hacker group Rhysida claims to have stolen nearly 6 terabytes of data and demands 30 bitcoins, about €2 million.
- The attack affected two Berlin departments: mobility, transport, climate protection and environment, and urban development, construction and housing.
- The breach was detected on August 14, and both departments were disconnected from the state digital network the same day.
- On August 26, the Senate admitted that confidential information, not just public geodata, may have been stolen.
Ransom Demand
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner said on August 28 that the city had received a ransom demand the previous afternoon. He called the attack a serious crime and said Berlin will not be blackmailed and will not pay. The hacker group Rhysida posted a statement in the darknet claiming to have downloaded nearly 6 terabytes of data. The group demands 30 bitcoins, about €2 million, and threatens to publish the files for free download within a week if not paid.
Stolen Data and Response
Rhysida claims the stolen data includes almost 50,000 contracts, password files, critical infrastructure information, emergency plans, and tens of thousands of misdemeanor case files. The hackers published excerpts from documents with headings such as 'Confidential personnel information' and letterheads of the Bundesrat and Berlin Senate. Der Spiegel sources in intelligence services confirmed the ransom demand is the work of Rhysida, which previously attacked the British Library, Welthungerhilfe, and Stuttgart city administration. The attack affected the departments for mobility, transport, climate protection and environment, and for urban development, construction and housing. The breach was detected on August 14, and both departments were disconnected from the state digital network that day.
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Berlin Senate hit by Rhysida ransomware attack demanding €2 million
