BSI reports
More cybersecurity incidents against critical infrastructure
The attackers are based at home and abroad. They are criminals, sometimes also state actors. Reports of incidents affecting the cybersecurity of critical facilities are increasing.
So-called critical infrastructure facilities reported significantly more cybersecurity incidents last year than in previous years. This emerges from a response from the federal government to a parliamentary question from the FDP parliamentary group. Accordingly, there were a total of 769 such reports to the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) in 2024 – around 43 percent more than in the previous year, when 537 reports reached the BSI. In 2021 and 2022, the BSI received 385 reports and 475 reports of cybersecurity incidents, respectively.
Operators of systems and facilities that are considered critical infrastructure are obliged to report such incidents to the BSI immediately.
Not every incident is an attack
In its response, however, the federal government points out that not every report necessarily involves a cyber attack. The operator was not always able to clarify whether the cybersecurity incident was due to an attack or another cause. Therefore, the proportion of incidents that can be traced back to state actors is not known. Critical infrastructure includes, for example, energy and transport companies, telecommunications providers, clinics and sewage treatment plants.
dpa
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
