- Air traffic control operators in Germany fall victim to cyberattacks
Air Traffic Control Germany (ATC Germany) situated near Frankfurt am Main in Langen has experienced a cyber attack. "Our internal communication system has been compromised, we're currently working on resolving the issue," an ATC Germany representative communicated to Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Efforts are being made to limit the damage. The air traffic flow remains uninterrupted and operates as usual. Previously, Bayerischer Rundfunk reported this.
The attack took place recently, and it's uncertain if any data was breached. Relevant authorities have been informed, as the representative noted.
News Reports: Suspected Hacker Group Implicated
The German Ministry of Transport declined to provide additional details about the occurrence and instead redirected queries to ATC Germany. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) acknowledged the incident: "We're aware of this attack and are handling it," a BfV spokesperson affirmed. Unfortunately, further information, such as prospective culprits, could not be disclosed at the moment.
As per Bayerischer Rundfunk's report, the suspected hacker group "APT 28" is connected to the attack. However, they didn't provide any concrete evidence to support this claim.
Regarding APT 28, BfV revealed that the group has been active globally since at least 2004, primarily in cyber espionage activities. They label APT 28 as "one of the most active and dangerous cyber actors worldwide" on their official website. BfV attributes APT 28 to the Russian military intelligence service "GRU."
The cyber attack on ATC Germany has raised concerns about potential data breaches, leading to speculation about hacking activities. The suspected hacker group "APT 28" has been linked to this incident, although concrete evidence is yet to be presented.
