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Berlin investigates new data leak after hackers publish stolen login credentials

Berlin investigates a fresh leak after Rhysida hackers published stolen login credentials; the city refuses to pay the ransom demand.

Berlin confirmed hackers published additional stolen data, including login credentials, from a mid-August cyberattack on two city ministries responsible for urban development/housing and transport/climate. The Rhysida ransomware group claimed the breach in late August, saying it stole 5.79 TB of data including contracts, emails, passwords and classified information; Berlin acknowledged an extortion demand but refused to pay. Berlin's data protection regulator said the leak includes personal data on public employees and possibly residents, such as names, addresses, dates of birth and bank information. Germany's BSI separately linked the campaign to the TerminalFix fake-CAPTCHA technique and the LoremIpsumLoader/AxolotLoader malware tied to financially motivated Rhysida-associated hackers, days before Berlin's Sept. 20 election.

The Record · 8d agoRansomware in the wild1

Rhysida Ransomware Group Targets Berlin Government Ahead of Vote

Rhysida ransomware hit Berlin's state government weeks before the September 20 election, claiming 5.79 TB stolen; officials refused the ransom.

Berlin's government confirmed an August cyberattack on its administrative network, with data exfiltrated between August 7 and August 12 and departments isolated on August 17. The Rhysida group claimed responsibility on August 28, alleging theft of 5.79 TB and 1.44 million files including personal data on 12,076 individuals, payroll files, plaintext credentials, and vulnerability analyses of Berlin's water supply. Officials said election systems were not affected and refused to pay; Rhysida has claimed roughly 280 victims since 2023, entering via VPNs without MFA, Zerologon, or phishing.

Security Affairs · 17d agoRansomware in the wild

Berlin refuses to be blackmailed after network breach

Rhysida extorts Berlin's state government after stealing 5.79 TB across 1.44 million files, demanding roughly 2 million euros in bitcoin.

Berlin's state government confirmed an extortion attempt after data theft from its administrative network between August 7 and 12, with affected departments disconnected only on August 14. The Rhysida ransomware gang lists 5.79 TB across 1.44 million files on its leak site, including HR files, contracts, 148 IBANs, personal data on 12,076 individuals, and plaintext credentials from internal systems including Berlin's leadership. Der Spiegel reports a 30 bitcoin demand of about 2 million euros; officials say the city will not pay and investigators include the State Criminal Police Office and federal agencies. Forensics revealed additional leaks in the Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment, while the Berlin House of Representatives election environment is reported secure.

Help Net Security · 15d agoRansomware in the wild

Rhysida Publishes Berlin Government Data After €2m Extortion Demand Refused

Rhysida published 5.7 TB of Berlin state government data, including sensitive CBRN emergency plans, after the state refused a €2m ransom demand.

The Rhysida ransomware gang leaked roughly 5.7 TB — about 1.4 million files — stolen from Berlin's state network after the government declined to pay 30 bitcoins (about €2m) by the September 4 deadline. The dump reportedly includes sensitive state emergency plans for terrorist attacks and CBRN disaster scenarios in a folder titled 'AG CBRN-Rahmenplanung', plus personnel files, absence lists, payroll data, and home addresses, potentially affecting tens of thousands of people. Berlin says there are no indications the state network remains compromised and will notify affected individuals on a risk-based basis after forensic analysis.

Infosecurity Magazine · 8d agoRansomware

Berlin says it won’t pay ransom after hackers steal government data

Berlin refuses ransom as Rhysida ransomware group claims theft of 5.79 TB of government data ahead of September 20 elections.

The Rhysida ransomware group claimed responsibility for stealing 5.79 TB of data from Berlin's government network, including 46,500 contracts, emails, phone numbers, passwords and classified information, and listed it for auction starting at 30 bitcoin (~$2.3 million). Berlin discovered the breach in mid-August, disconnected two ministries from the state network on August 14, and refused to pay the ransom; authorities have not officially attributed the attack. Data is believed taken between August 7 and 12, and district services such as housing benefit processing were disrupted. Officials said election infrastructure is protected ahead of the September 20 House of Representatives vote, and state IT provider ITDZ Berlin was unaffected.

The Record · 15d agoRansomware

Berlin Refuses to Pay Hackers Who Stole Data From the City's State Network

Berlin refuses ransom demands after Rhysida claimed stealing 5.79 TB from the city-state network, including mobility department data on 12,076 individuals.

Berlin's state government confirmed an extortion attempt following the August compromise of its state administrative network and said it will not pay. Forensics found data exfiltrated from the Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and Environment between August 7 and 12, 2026; Rhysida's leak site claims 5.79 TB, 1.44 million files, and personal data on 12,076 individuals. State criminal police, prosecutors, and federal authorities are investigating, and officials say the September 20 Abgeordnetenhaus election environment remains unaffected. Separately, Manchester Airports Group confirmed theft of customer data including emails, phone numbers, and vehicle registrations across three airports.

The Hacker News · 18d agoRansomware in the wildCVE-2020-1472

Berlin Ransomware Leak Exposes State Secrets

Rhysida ransomware leaked 5.79 TB of Berlin state government data on the dark web after the city refused a 30 Bitcoin ransom.

The Rhysida ransomware group published 5.79 TB (about 1.44 million files) of Berlin state administration data on its leak site on August 28, 2026, after the city-state refused a 30 Bitcoin ransom. The claimed dataset includes personal data on 12,076 individuals, over 5,000 personnel files, payroll records, plaintext credentials for systems like PAYONE and Z_ADMIN, Bundesrat committee protocols, and documents allegedly containing state secrets. Leaked material reportedly covers national defense emergency plans, federal secret communication channels, a CBRN threat planning folder, and vulnerability analyses of Berlin's water supply. Berlin's government has activated a central crisis unit to review the leaked data and notify affected citizens and businesses.

Security Affairs · 8d agoRansomware

Berlin cuts two state ministries off government network after security breach

Two Berlin state ministries were cut off from the city government network after a breach, disrupting housing benefit and education services.

Berlin's Senate Chancellery said two ministries, covering urban development/construction/housing and mobility/transport/climate/environment, have been isolated from the state network since Friday as a precaution after a discovered security breach. Broadcaster RBB reported, citing government sources, that attackers allegedly exploited a vulnerability in one ministry's IT systems, while state IT provider ITDZ Berlin was unaffected. Employees lost email and internet access and are communicating by phone, text message, and fax, and some district offices cannot process housing benefit and education assistance applications. No attribution, entry method, or data theft confirmation has been provided and the investigation is ongoing.

The Record · 28d agoData breach in the wild

Security Affairs newsletter Round 594 by Pierluigi Paganini – INTERNATIONAL EDITION

Weekly Security Affairs newsletter aggregates top stories including Cisco FMC exploitation, Qilin ransomware, Chrome zero-days, and Berlin leak.

Pierluigi Paganini's Security Affairs newsletter Round 594 (International Edition) rounds up the week's security headlines. Topics include attackers exploiting a critical Cisco FMC flaw to deploy Qilin ransomware, SonicWall mass exploitation linked to a UK council attack, multiple CISA KEV additions, Chrome zero-days used by four nation-state actors, a $320 million Liquid Network theft, and a Berlin ransomware data leak. It also covers AI security items such as agent sandbox failures and distillation campaigns by Chinese AI firms.

Security Affairs · 2d agoIndustry in the wildCVE-2026-42016CVE-2026-42018CVE-2026-82329+1 CVEs1

Risky Bulletin: BEC campaign steals €35 million from French notaries

Hackers stole over €35 million from 500+ French notary offices in a four-year BEC campaign; ANSSI spent two years helping evict the attackers.

A business email compromise campaign breached more than 500 French notary offices — about 7% of all French notaries per the Conseil Supérieur du Notariat — over four years, stealing more than €35 million by phishing initial access and silently modifying wire transfer details. France's cybersecurity agency ANSSI worked for two years behind the scenes to help notaries remove the persistent attackers, who had deep access; officials also feared hackers could issue fake notarized acts such as marriage certificates or forged real estate deals. No forged documents have been found so far, but notaries have added two-factor authentication and in-person requirements for banking details, and banks added extra checks in 2024. The newsletter also notes other incidents, including a $320 million Bitcoin extraction from Blockstream's Liquid Network and a JetBrains Cadence breach via TeamCity servers.

Risky Business News · 9d agoPhishing & fraud in the wild1

Risky Bulletin: Slovakia finds Russian backdoor in traffic speed cameras

Slovakia's NBU found an SMS-triggered backdoor in Russian-made NERO R-ONE traffic cameras, pausing a 279-unit deployment.

Slovakia's national security service NBU issued an alert against NERO R-ONE high-speed traffic cameras after finding a backdoor that grants shell and network access via SMS from hardcoded Russian phone numbers. The cameras are a rebranded version of the Russian CORDON PRO.M model by St. Petersburg firm Semicon, purchased via a Cyprus shell company under a €30 million EU-funded project. The report also found SecureBoot disabled, vulnerable web management, and unauthenticated live streams; the Interior Ministry paused deployment of 279 cameras pending independent assessment.

Risky Business News · 28d agoThreat actor in the wild1