Germany cabinet approves landmark BND reform, granting offensive cyber and sabotage powers

Published Aug 13, 05:30 PM UTC

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