The Federal Office for Cartography and Geodesy, known as the Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie (BKG) in Germany, suffered a serious cyberattack in late 2021, which has now been attributed to Chinese state actors. The German government condemned the attack, saying it was likely related to espionage activities.
Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser strongly condemned the attack and told China to refrain from such attacks in the future.
Federal Office for Cartography and Geodesy Attack Investigation
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) and the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) supported the BKG in investigating the cyberattack. Their investigation revealed that part of the BKG network had been compromised, though no additional malware was found on the agency’s systems.
Following the attack, the BKG implemented comprehensive security measures, including improved logging and detection of security-relevant events, enhanced IT risk management, and increased employee awareness of information security.
The agency also rebuilt its network in accordance with the BSI’s recommendations, ensuring that the attacker was successfully excluded from the BKG networks. Faeser emphasized the severity of the situation and its threat to the digital sovereignty of Germany and Europe as a region in the following statement:
This serious cyberattack on a federal authority shows how great the danger is from Chinese cyberattacks and espionage. The Federal Government condemns this cyberattack by state-controlled Chinese actors in the strongest possible terms. We call on China to refrain from and stop such cyberattacks. These cyberattacks threaten the digital sovereignty of Germany and Europe. We are therefore resolutely opposing these threats and have significantly increased protection. Just last week, we in the Federal Cabinet introduced another law to further increase cybersecurity and to better arm ourselves against state and criminal cyberattacks.
The investigation into this cyber attack is the result of the excellent, closely networked work of our security authorities. I would like to thank all the authorities involved, especially the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
Ongoing Threat from Chinese Cyber Activities
German security authorities report that suspected Chinese state actors continued to target companies, government agencies, and political institutions throughout 2023. These attacks appeared to be aimed at gathering information on political decision-making processes and German foreign policy positions that could impact China.
The security agencies note a significant qualitative and quantitative development in Chinese cyber espionage tactics, achieving unprecedented reach and effectiveness. They anticipate China will further intensify its state-run espionage and influence activities as part of an offensive cyber strategy aligned with the country’s industrial and geopolitical goals.