Two Berlin gov’t departments “unable to work” after cyberattack

Two government departments in Berlin have been hit by cyberattacks. A postal vote registration website run by the city is also facing disruption.

Berlin housing and transport departments hit by cyberattacks

The Senate Chancellery in Berlin has announced that the city’s Department for Urban Development, Construction and Housing and the Department for Mobility, Transport, Environment and Climate Protection have been hit by cyberattacks.

The cyberattack targeted the Berlin state network (BeLa) and was first detected on August 14. The two departments were then taken offline to prevent a further security breach, and employees have since only been able to work by phone. “We are practically unable to work without internet and email communication,” an anonymous employee told Tagesspiegel.

Citing government circles, rbb reported that “highly sensitive data was leaked” in the attack, but authorities are yet to clarify which sensitive data was accessed. It also remains unclear who is behind the attack. Government circles told rbb their investigation would continue.

The BeLa is a high-speed data system which connects around 600 government organisations and public venues in Berlin. The police, fire brigade, and hospitals use it, along with other emergency services.

Berlin postal vote site disrupted

Alongside the cyberattack, SPIEGEL reported that a Berlin state election postal vote registration website has also been facing connection issues in the past few days.

According to the Senate Department of the Interior, the page where Berliners can electronically apply for a postal vote has been disrupted since August 17.

“The responsible State Office for Citizenship and Public Order is working around the clock to resolve these issues,” a Senate representative told the dpa.

So far, there is no indication that the cyberattack on the departments for transport and housing is connected to the postal vote website disruption.

According to the State Statistical Office, 2,5 million Berliners are entitled to vote in the House of Representatives (Wahl zum Abgeordnetenhaus or AGH Wahl) election on September 20. 

Only Berliners with a German passport can vote in the AGH Wahl, but Berliners with EU citizenship can vote for a candidate to represent their district in the Berlin Bezirksverordnetenversammlung (BVV) on the same day.