Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS), based in Langen, Frankfurt, has recently experienced a cyber attack that had a minimal impact on its operations. As Germany’s Air Traffic Control agency, DFS has confirmed that its critical operations remained unaffected due to a robust business continuity plan.
Bayerischer Rundfunk, Munich’s official TV and radio broadcaster, has reported that the attack was carried out by a state-sponsored actor. Initial investigations have traced the attack to APT28, a notorious Russian hacking group also known as Strontium, Blue Delta, Pawn Storm, and Fancy Bear. This group was previously implicated in the 2015 cyber attack on the Bundestag.
Since 2007, this threat group has targeted various government, private, and military agencies. Notably, they were involved in the 2016 U.S. elections, which resulted in Donald Trump’s election as the 58th President of the United States.
Germany has faced an increase in cyber attacks, particularly since its support for Ukraine in the conflict with Russia. Reuters reports that Germany is now the third most targeted nation by Russian adversaries, following the United States and Australia.
In related cyber incident news, Bitkom, Germany’s leading digital association, has released a survey indicating that digital sabotage cost German companies approximately 267 billion euros in 2023—a 29% increase from 2022.
The survey highlights that about 70% of the affected companies were targeted by major cybercrime groups, leading to data theft, operational disruptions, and, in some cases, company closures due to data loss and subsequent legal issues.
Interestingly, China has emerged as the top adversary in terms of cyber threats to Germany, with Russia holding the second position.
