Two Berlin state ministries have been disconnected from the city government's IT network following the discovery of a security breach. The affected entities are the Ministry for Urban Development, Construction and Housing, and the Ministry for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection, and the Environment.
The Berlin Senate Chancellery confirmed that both ministries have been isolated from government networks since Friday as a precautionary measure. While the Senate Chancellery emphasized that the security of the state network is paramount, officials have not disclosed details regarding the identity of the attackers, the method of intrusion, or whether any data was compromised. The timeline of the intrusion also remains unconfirmed. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
According to government sources, the attackers reportedly exploited a vulnerability within the IT systems of one of the affected ministries. Berlin's state-owned IT service provider, ITDZ Berlin, was not impacted by the breach. The two disconnected ministries manage a portion of the state network independently and share some IT infrastructure.
Despite the disruption, both ministries continue to operate. However, employees have lost access to their standard IT systems, including email and internet, and are now relying on telephones, text messages, and fax for communication. The incident has also affected certain public services. Processing of applications for housing benefits and education and participation assistance is currently stalled at some district offices due to their reliance on systems managed by the urban development ministry.
Authorities have not provided an estimate for how long the ministries will remain disconnected from the state network.
