Russian hackers launch a cyber-attack on Germany in Leopard’s retaliation

The websites of key German government departments, including companies and airports, have been targeted by cyberattacks, the Federal Cybersecurity Agency (BSI) said on Thursday.

The BSI has been informed of “DDoS (denial of service) attacks currently being carried out against targets in Germany,” a spokesperson said.

“Individual targets in the financial sector” and federal government sites were also attacked, with no major impact at this stage.

Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks attack a computer system by flooding it with messages or connection requests.

The Russian hacker site Killnet has claimed credit for the attack, according to the BSI. Media group Handelsblatt reported that the attacks were in retaliation against Berlin approving the deployment of Leopard 2 tanks in Ukraine.

However, clearly identifying where such an attack originates is “particularly difficult for hacker collectives,” the BSI spokesperson added.

The hackers “make specific calls to action, and then a lot of people join in,” but “it’s hard to prove that authorship can be attributed to them,” he added.

“Some sites are currently unavailable,” the BSI spokesperson confirmed to AFP, after two Stuttgart daily newspapers reported blockages on Thursday morning.

“There is currently no evidence of any direct impact on the services concerned and, in the BSI’s assessment, no impact should be expected if the usual protective measures are taken.”

According to the regional Ministry of the Interior, the website of the Baden-Württemberg regional police was also targeted.

The investigation has now been handed over to the police.

Germany has been the target of several cyber attacks claimed by Russia in recent years, including one in 2015 involving the Bundestag, the lower house of the German parliament and the office of former Chancellor Angela Merkel.