Berlin, the capital of Germany, is facing a cyberattack-linked extortion attempt after the hacking group Rhysida demanded 30 Bitcoin, worth around €2 million, for data it claimed to have from the city’s state network.
According to Berlin.de, the official website of Berlin, Rhysida claimed to have stolen 5.7 terabytes (TB) of information and offered the data for auction with a minimum bid of 30 Bitcoin, roughly equivalent to €2 million. Berlin said it would not give in to the extortion attempt.
The attackers’ deadline expired on September 4, after which the stolen data was published. Berlin authorities said they were examining the released files to determine which individuals and organizations were affected.
30 Bitcoin ransom puts data at risk
Rhysida has claimed responsibility for the attack and said it obtained the data from Berlin’s state network. Berlin officials said the state would not pay the ransom or give into the extortion attempt.
The published data may contain personal information belonging to state employees, residents and businesses. Berlin said individuals identified as affected would be contacted by the relevant authorities based on the assessed risk and applicable data-protection requirements.
On September 6, Berlin said the attackers had published another data package containing, among other information, access credentials. The relevant Senate department said it had reviewed and tightened precautionary measures following the new disclosure.
Investigation continues
The incident has prompted cooperation between Berlin’s state and federal security authorities. The State Criminal Police Office, Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office, and Federal Office for Information Security are involved in the response and investigation.
Berlin said there were no indications that the state network remained infiltrated, although forensic investigations were continuing to determine whether additional data had been taken.
The cyberattack became public in mid-August and has since developed into an extortion attempt involving a cryptocurrency payment. The use of Bitcoin as the requested payment method has made the incident relevant to the broader issue of cryptocurrency-based cyber extortion.
Berlin authorities have advised people who discover that their personal information has been published to report it to police. Relevant Senate departments may also contact affected individuals based on the assessed risk and applicable data-protection requirements.
The investigation is continuing as authorities assess the published data and determine which individuals and organizations have been affected.
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