- Minister of the Interior visits cybercrime unit of the Münster police
In a hypothetical digital attack on a hospital in Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) inspected the work of six new Cybercrime inspection teams. Reul visited the new premises of the Digital Crime Scene Intervention Team at the Münster Police Presidency and observed IT experts and detectives collaborating across the state via video to respond to a cyberattack on a hospital's IT infrastructure. They secured digital evidence and initiated initial investigation steps.
Since mid-July, experts have been working together in Münster, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen, and Bielefeld. The state has created 94 new positions for this purpose, with some filled in an initial recruitment phase. According to Reul, there were 58,000 known cases in 2020, which has doubled since 2019.
The new teams, connected statewide and exchanging experts, use state-of-the-art computers, transmission technology, and their own cloud. "The new Cybercrime inspection teams are our response to the increasing threats from the digital world," said Reul.
He recalled a recent cyberattack on the IT of municipalities in South Westphalia. Reul warned that such attacks are not limited to large companies and urged small and medium-sized businesses to prioritize IT security. "They need to invest money, otherwise, existences are at risk," said the Interior Minister. If a ransomware attack occurs, Reul advises contacting the police immediately.
The interior minister suggested that in the event of a ransomware attack, individuals should contact the police immediately. The new Cybercrime inspection teams, established across various cities in North Rhine-Westphalia, will also be involved in responding to such attacks.
