Hacker attack on police cell phones: Minister Pegel admits breakdown!

Hacker attack on police cell phones: Minister Pegel admits breakdown!

A serious blow for the state police in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: According to investigators from the State Criminal Police Office (LKA), a hacker attack on the company cell phones could have come from a Chinese secret service. This explosive situation should not be underestimated, as the affected police smartphones, around 4,000 in number, also contain GPS data that could track the locations of police officers. Interior Minister Christian Pegel (SPD) described the incident as a digital meltdown and admitted that it was a serious glitch. On May 17th, Telekom informed about server anomalies, which, however, did not reach those responsible in time because the mailbox of a former employee was deactivated.

A phone call on May 22nd ultimately led to the affected server being taken offline. Previously, on May 8, a warning from the US software company Ivanti, whose product the police use, was ignored. This warning, like the first containment of the security risk on May 13th, went unheeded when the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) raised the warning level from yellow to orange. The first attack was registered on May 15th, and since then there has been great uncertainty about possible data leaks. However, Pegel emphasizes that there is so far no evidence of loss of personal data, which at least eases the situation somewhat, even if there is no guarantee.

The first steps of enlightenment

After the incident, the Interior Ministry in Schwerin immediately initiated measures. All servers that manage the smartphones will be replaced to ensure that any malware that may be installed does not continue to spread. Around 3,500 affected smartphones are now being tested to determine whether they can be made usable again, even if only for phone calls. In the short term, around 120 mobile phones from the disaster control inventory will be used.

Meanwhile, the opposition in the state parliament has no understanding of the government's inadequate information policy. CDU MP Ann-Christin von Allwörden expresses distrust of the ministry's communications and points to the regular cyber attacks on public infrastructure. Both the CDU and AfD have submitted separate emergency motions, while the government factions SPD and Left are seeking a discussion as part of the government question time. A special meeting of the Interior Committee was also requested to investigate the incident.

Prevention and future measures

In order to avoid a similar incident in the future, Minister Pegel plans to send notifications to a functional mailbox to which several employees have access. This measure is intended to improve communication channels in crisis situations. The monetary damage that could result from equipping the police with new cell phones is also not insignificant and could run into the millions. These concerns are not unfounded: cyber attacks on public administrations are increasing in Germany. According to that Federal Criminal Police Office The financial damage caused by such attacks is often significant, and restoring the technical infrastructure can take months.

In order to minimize such risks, the BKA recommends, among other things, regular updating of IT security concepts and employee training in cybersecurity. In light of current events, there will be an urgent need for action in the state government to close the security gaps in IT and maintain trust in the digital infrastructure.

The police security debate is sure to remain a hot topic for a long time, and the country urgently needs to find ways to protect its officers and the public from such threats. It remains to be seen how the government will respond to the opposition's legitimate criticism and what concrete steps it will take to strengthen digital security.