It had long been suspected that China had orchestrated a cyberattack on the Federal Agency for Cartography. Now the Foreign Office is officially pointing the finger at Beijing.
Three years after a serious cyber attack on the Federal Office for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG), the German government has blamed Chinese hackers. “Today we know that state-controlled Chinese cyber actors have infiltrated the BKG network for espionage purposes,” said a spokesman for the Foreign Office in Berlin. The Chinese ambassador was summoned based on these findings.
The attack was attributed “on the basis of a thorough technical analysis,” the spokesman added. The Federal Office, which provides geodata, plays an important role, including for critical infrastructure facilities – these include, for example, energy suppliers, waterworks and transport companies.
Interior Ministry: Hackers used obfuscation networks for cyber attack
The spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Maximilian Kall, explained that the attackers had used so-called obfuscation networks. This is what we call it when hackers use devices in private households and companies to conceal their tracks in an attack.
“The Federal Government condemns in the strongest possible terms the cyberattack by state-controlled Chinese actors against the Federal Office for Cartography and Geodesy,” said the Foreign Office spokesman.
Source: Stern
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