Germany protests China's alleged involvement in serious cyberattack that occurred in 2021

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) - Germany summoned China's ambassador to Berlin on Wednesday to protest the alleged involvement of Beijing in a serious cyberattack on the Federal Office of Cartography and Geodesy (BKG) that occurred in 2021.

“Today we know that state-controlled Chinese cyber actors had infiltrated the BKG network for espionage purposes. The Federal Government strongly condemns the cyberattack by state-controlled Chinese actors against the Federal Office of Cartography and Geodesy,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sebastian Fischer told media in Berlin.

The Chinese ambassador was summoned as a result of these findings. The attribution of the attack was made "based on a thorough technical analysis," the spokesman added.

The German Foreign Ministry, which provides geodata, is crucial, particularly for critical infrastructure facilities such as energy suppliers, waterworks, and transportation companies.

In a related development, Interior Ministry spokesman Maximilian Kall said the attackers had used so-called cover-up networks, which means that hackers used devices in private households and companies to attack and conceal their tracks.