In brief
A hacker group linked to Russia and Eastern Europe has taken 5.79 TB of Berlin’s data and is demanding 30 bitcoin. Beijing Mayor Kai Wegner pledged the city will not go blackmailed, citing serious attacks that shut housing-application portals and threatened personal data. The investigation is underway, with federal police and security services probing the breach and the nature of the leaked information. The incident occurs before Berlin’s local elections, raising questions about election‑security. Previous attacks by Rhodesida on the British Museum show the gang’s persistence.
Berlin’s mayor, Kai Wegner, announced the city will refuse to meet a ransomware demand after hackers compromised several municipal networks and stole a large trove of data.
The attackers, identified as the Rhysida group with links to Russia and Eastern Europe, have publicly claimed 30 bitcoin (roughly €2 million) as their ransom and say they will auction the stolen 5.79 TB of data in seven days.
City services were temporarily disabled; housing‑benefit applications and housing payment systems ran for several days before the city could restore them. City authorities are investigating the leak’s scope, aware that personal and non‑public data may have been exposed.
Wegner emphasized that Berlin will not be blackmailed, stressing that state police, prosecutors and federal security services are acting “with the utmost urgency” to trace the attackers and assess the damage.
Even though the city’s election infrastructure was reportedly intact, the incident underscores the heightened risk to public‑sector networks as elections approach.
Earlier this year, Rhysida breached the British Museum’s system, claiming 500,000 files and releasing sensitive data after the museum refused to pay. The present attack demonstrates the group’s continued focus on regional governments and institutions.
