Two Berlin state ministries have been cut off from the city government’s IT network after German authorities discovered a security breach. The affected bodies are the ministry responsible for urban development, construction and housing, and the ministry for mobility, transport, climate protection and the environment. Both have been isolated from government networks since Friday as a precaution, according to the Berlin Senate Chancellery. Citing government sources, local broadcaster RBB reported that attackers exploited a vulnerability in the IT systems of one of the two ministries. The two ministries share some IT infrastructure and operate their segment of the state network independently from ITDZ Berlin, the city’s state-owned IT service provider — which was not affected.
The human impact is visible immediately. Staff at both ministries can no longer access email or the internet from work devices and have fallen back to telephone, text message and fax. Public-facing services are also disrupted: applications for housing benefits and for education and participation assistance cannot currently be processed at some district offices because they rely on systems run by the urban development ministry. Officials have not disclosed who was behind the attack, how access was gained, whether data was stolen, or how long the ministries expect to remain disconnected. “The security of the state network is the top priority,” the Berlin Senate Chancellery said. “For investigative reasons, no further specific information about the scope or background can currently be provided.”