Chinese hackers attacked a major federal office
In 2021, a severe cyberattack occurred on the Federal Office for Cartography and Geodesy. The culprits were identified as state-sponsored Chinese cyber actors, according to the German government. And they reacted.
The German government holds China responsible for a severe cyberattack on the Federal Office for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG) in 2021. "Today, we know that state-sponsored Chinese cyber actors infiltrated the BKG network for espionage purposes," said Sebastian Fischer, spokesperson for the Foreign Office, at a press conference in Berlin. "The Chinese ambassador has been summoned." This is said to have last happened in 1989 following the Tiananmen Square incident.
The BKG provides geodata and plays crucial roles for critical infrastructure facilities. These include energy suppliers, waterworks, and transportation companies. The attribution of the attack was made "based on a thorough technical analysis," Fischer said. "We can attribute responsibility to Chinese state actors. We have reliable information from our intelligence services." The German government condemns the cyberattack in the strongest terms and demands that China cease and desist from such actions.
The spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Maximilian Kall, explained that the attackers used so-called obfuscation networks. This involves hackers using devices in private households and companies to mask their tracks. The attackers compromised end devices to gain covert access to the BKG system, affecting some of the office's subnetworks.
Threat from Chinese Espionage
"This attack was completely stopped," said Kall. He also confirmed that it was ensured that "the attackers can no longer access the BKG system." Comprehensive protective measures have been taken to prevent such attacks from recurring.
The BKG, which falls under the purview of the Interior Ministry, provides official geodata to authorities, operators of critical infrastructures, and geoinformation systems. In light of this severe cyberattack, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser's spokesperson emphasized the threat posed by Chinese espionage and Chinese cyberattacks.
The attributed cyberattack on the BKG in 2021 was discovered to involve espionage activities by Chinese state-sponsored actors. The German government strongly condemns this act of Chinese espionage and demands that it ceases such activities.
