Berlin is being blackmailed after data was stolen in a cyberattack in mid-August, Mayor Kai Wegner said on Friday.
According to German weekly Der Spiegel, the attackers are demanding 30 bitcoins, currently worth about €2 million.
The magazine, citing a security source, said the group behind the attack was believed to be Rhysida.
Rhysida previously claimed responsibility for the attack on London’s British Library in Autumn 2023, when it demanded a ransom of 20 bitcoins, worth more than €760,000 at the time.
“Berlin is the victim of a serious crime,” said Wegner, the conservative mayor of the German capital, which is both a city and a federal state.
“The demand arrived early on Thursday evening. We will not comply with it,” he said. “Berlin will not give in to blackmail.”
The cyberattack took place on 14 August and forced several city departments offline for a week, including housing and environment offices.
As a result, applications for housing benefits and the payment of those benefits were disrupted for several days.
At first, the authorities said no sensitive data had been stolen. On Wednesday, however, they acknowledged that personal data may have been affected.
Der Spiegel reported that Rhysida had threatened to publish the data within a week if it did not receive the money.
Wegner said security services were working intensively to track down those responsible, but did not identify the attackers.
Separately, Deputy Mayor Iris Spranger said the cyberattack would not affect local elections due to be held on 20 September.
“The vote is 100% secure,” she said.
