Berlin cyberattack continues; two key departments remain offline, September election unaffected

Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner: "Will take a few more days" Source: Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa

Five days after the hacker attack on parts of the Berlin Senate administration, the problems remain unresolved. Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) announced that fixing the systems will take several more days.

Affected Departments

The hacker attack has impacted two senate departments:

• Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing
• Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Environmental Protection and Climate Protection

"We are working at full speed to get both administrations back online as quickly as possible. But it will take a few more days," Wegner said.

Severity of the Attack

Wegner described Berlin as "the victim of a hacker attack," adding: "The attack on our state network was serious and it is still serious." While there has been considerable speculation, the mayor stated: "According to current knowledge, no sensitive data has been leaked." This contradicts earlier reports from RBB, which had suggested otherwise.

Network Disconnection

The Senate Chancellery announced on Monday afternoon that forensic investigations had revealed "incrimination of the state network." Both affected departments have been disconnected from the state network since Friday to prevent further damage.

Berlin operates its own fiber optic network, which connects authorities, police, fire department, and hospitals. The network spans over 1,000 kilometers and includes 600 connected locations.

Election to the House of Representatives Remains on Track

Berlin's Senator for Interior, Iris Spranger (SPD), confirmed that the election to the Berlin House of Representatives on September 20 is not endangered by the attack.

"According to the current status, the IT systems required for the elections are not affected," Spranger said. This applies both to systems used for election preparation and those central to election evaluation.

Postal Voting Applications Restored

According to Spranger, online applications for postal voting certificates were unavailable for approximately one day. However, since early morning, the system has been functioning without restrictions. By 3:00 PM, more than 21,000 applications had been processed online, roughly matching the usual daily volume.

Spranger emphasized that the short-term disruption does not provide grounds to challenge the election later, as citizens can also apply for postal voting via email, mail, or at district election offices.

Unclear Connection to the Attack

According to the State Election Office, it remains unclear whether the postal voting application issues are even related to the hacker attack discovered on Friday. So far, no connection has been established.

On September 20, Berlin will hold elections not only for the House of Representatives but also for the twelve district parliaments.