In brief
Berlin’s mayor announced resistance to a ransom demand after hackers breached city systems. The Rhysida group, linked to a prior British Museum attack, threatens to auction stolen data. Authorities are probing the extent of the leak, which affected housing services and other departments. With an upcoming election, security remains a top priority. The global cyber threat underscores the need for robust digital defenses.
Berlin Mayor Declines to Pay Ransom
Berlin’s mayor, Kai Wegner, stated that the city would not comply with a ransom request from the Rhysida hacker group. The group claims it extracted 5.79 terabytes of data from city servers, including personal records and sensitive files.
Der Spiegel estimates the ransom at 30 bitcoin, roughly €2 million. The demand came on Thursday evening, after an attack that forced several city departments—housing, transport and the environment sector—to shut down for days.
Berlin will not be blackmailed. Wegner emphasized that police, prosecutors and federal security agencies are investigating the incident with urgency. The mayor’s office warned that personal data may have been compromised.
The Rhysida group, operating from Russia and Eastern Europe, announced on its website a countdown to an auction of the stolen data, starting at the same 30‑bitcoin price. The group has previously targeted institutions such as the British Museum, where it released visitor and staff information after the museum refused to pay.
Authorities declined to name the attackers, but forensic work uncovered further leaks in Berlin’s transport and environmental departments. The incident arrives just weeks before city elections, though officials assure that election infrastructure has remained intact.
