German authorities reported a concerning rise in cyberattacks last year, with a 28% increase in incidents perpetrated by foreign actors. This information comes from the Federal Criminal Police Office’s annual report released on Monday.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser addressed the issue at a press conference at the headquarters of the Federal Criminal Police Office in Wiesbaden, highlighting the severity of the situation.
“The threat level in the area of cyber security remains high. That is why we are acting so decisively – both nationally and internationally.
“We want to further strengthen cyber defense and create additional instruments that would allow us to act quickly in the event of serious cyber attacks and repel these attacks,” she said.
The report details over 320,000 cyberattacks targeting German entities in 2023, with more than 190,000 originating from outside the country or with unidentified locations for the perpetrators.
The report also details successful takedowns of criminal networks, darknet platforms, and infrastructure used for cyber attacks. Notably, Faeser pointed to the recent identification of the Russian APT28 group behind specific attacks.
“We will not be intimidated by the Russian regime under any circumstances. We will continue to do everything we can to protect our democracy from such Russian cyber operations, and we will continue to provide Ukraine with massive support,” Faeser declared.
The cyberattacks observed include data breaches, unauthorized system access through vulnerabilities, website disruptions through DDoS attacks, and ransomware attacks that encrypt an organization’s data and demand a ransom for decryption.
While over 800 ransomware cases were reported to the police in 2023, the true number is believed to be significantly higher due to underreporting. The digital advocacy group Bitkom estimates that cyberattacks cost German businesses a staggering €148 billion ($160 billion) last year.