Berlin, Aug 18. (dpa) – A cyberattack has paralysed two major departments in the government of the city-state of Berlin, the Berlin daily the Tagesspiegel reported on Tuesday.
“We are practically unable to work,” the Tagesspiegel quoted an employee of the transport administration as saying. “Hardly anyone here believes there will be a solution by tomorrow,” the employee added.
According to information obtained by dpa, there is no internet connection or email communication, and working from home is not possible.
The chancellery of the Berlin Senate, the body that runs the city-state, announced on Monday that forensic investigations had detected a “compromise of the state network.”
The departments affected are the Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing, and the Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment. Both departments were disconnected from the Berlin network on Friday, as a security precaution to prevent further damage.
The chancellery provided little information. “For investigative reasons, no further specific information can currently be provided about the extent or background of the incident,” it said.
It is unclear whether any data has been compromised. Public broadcaster RBB reported that sensitive data may have been compromised. A criminal investigation has been launched, a spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office told dpa.
GNA