Germany accuses China of cyberattacks on Federal Office

The federal government of Germany implies that state-sponsored hackers from China are responsible for a series of cyberattacks on a government organization that collects location data.

In late 2021, the Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie (BKG), Germany’s Federal Office for Cartography and Geodesy, was the victim of multiple targeted cyberattacks.

The agency collects and stores detailed location data of Germany’s critical infrastructure, including water and energy providers and transport companies. It also combines its own data and recordings with those of federal states and third-party providers. That’s very sensitive and confidential information you don’t want to fall into the wrong hands.

When the cyberattacks became known, the Federal Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI), Germany’s cybersecurity agency, launched an investigation with intelligence services and law enforcement authorities.

Researchers have concluded that the attackers used compromised endpoint devices from individuals and companies to launch numerous cyberattacks on the BKG. They also say that hackers have successfully exfiltrated data from the BKG’s servers.

“We know that state-controlled Chinese cyber actors have infiltrated the BKG network for espionage purposes,” a spokesperson of the Federal Office says to the German Press Agency DPA.

The federal government strongly condemns the cyberattacks and summoned the Chinese ambassador on these findings.

“This severe cyberattack on a federal agency shows how great the danger from Chinese cyberattacks and espionage is. We urge China to refrain from and prevent such cyberattacks. These cyberattacks threaten the digital sovereignty of Germany and Europe,” Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser says in a statement.

Sebastian Fischer, spokesperson at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, doesn’t say what hacking group is responsible for the cyberattacks. However, the German government has “reliable information from its intelligence services” about the source of the attack.

According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, China is pursuing an “offensive cyber strategy to contribute to the country’s industrial and geopolitical goals through extensive knowledge transfer.”

Last year, Chancellor Olaf Scholtz called the relations between Germany and China one of “systemic rivalry” but highlighted Berlin’s desire to maintain economic ties.