Berlin says it won’t pay ransom after hackers steal government data
Governing Mayor Kai Wegner said that Berlin had received an extortion demand following the cyberattack, which was discovered in mid-August.
Berlin has refused to pay a ransom demanded by hackers who allegedly stole data from the region’s government network, officials said.
Governing Mayor Kai Wegner said on Friday that Berlin had received an extortion demand following the cyberattack, which was discovered in mid-August.
“The state of Berlin is being blackmailed,” Wegner said, adding that the government would not comply with the attackers’ demands.
Source: https://therecord.media/berlin-says-it-wont-pay-ransom-after-hackers-steal-gov-data
Related breach coverage
- Rhysida Ransomware Group Targets Berlin Government Ahead of Vote2026-08-29
Berlin ‘s government faces a Rhysida ransomware attack weeks before elections, with officials refusing to pay despite a claimed 5.79 TB data theft. Berlin’s state government confirmed this week it’s dealing with an extortion attempt following an August cyberattack on the city-state’s administrative network, and officials have already refused the requested ransom. The ransomware group […]
- Hundreds of fake government websites target users in Central Asia2026-09-14
The sites are designed to collect victims’ contact details, which scammers then use to target them through phone or email to steal money, personal information or gain access to their devices.
- Berlin investigates new data leak after hackers publish stolen login credentials2026-09-07
Another trove of data from Berlin's government has appeared online, authorities said. Germany's information security agency separately warned about the Rhysida cybercrime group.
- Berlin Ransomware Leak Exposes State Secrets2026-09-07
Berlin refused a 30 Bitcoin ransom, leading hackers to leak 6TB of sensitive state administration and national defense data on the dark web. When a ransomware gang dumps nearly six terabytes of state administration files onto the dark web, ignoring them does not make the problem go away. The Rhysida ransomware group recently carried out […]