German cabinet approves landmark BND reform, authorizing offensive cyber ops and sabotage abroad

Published Aug 13, 05:30 PM UTC

Germany's cabinet has approved a landmark 700-page draft law to transform the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) from a passive intelligence collector into an operational agency capable of launching cyber counterattacks, sabotage, and interference in hostile supply chains. The reform, described as the most extensive overhaul of German intelligence law, is driven primarily by Russia's hybrid warfare tactics including espionage, cyber operations, disinformation, and sabotage since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Under the new rules, the BND would be authorized to penetrate IT systems at drone factories or chemical weapons laboratories, disable servers used by state hackers, delete data, and insert defective components into deliveries. Both the BND and domestic security service BfV would gain broader authority for online searches, AI analysis, and biometric matching. The bill requires parliamentary approval. Critics argue granting operational powers to the BfV could blur Germany's strict postwar separation between intelligence agencies and police, while the government insists oversight will be strengthened.