city Bonn/Berlin
Date 02.11.2023

The cyber security situation in Germany remains tense. This is the result of the current report on the situation of IT security in Germany, which was presented today by Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser and Claudia Plattner, President of the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). The BSI situation report makes clear that attacks with ransomware currently pose the greatest threat. In addition, there is a growing professionalisation on the part of the perpetrators, which is countered by an increasing number of security vulnerabilities.

Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser: "It is impossible to imagine our lives without digital processes: business and administration, communication and interaction function on their basis. Digitalisation makes many things in our everyday lives easier. At the same time, it creates new areas of attack. Cybersecurity is central to our society and affects each and every one of us. The BSI report on the state of IT security in Germany 2023 shows that the threat situation in cyberspace remains tense. Cybercrime, but above all the turn of the times we are experiencing, requires a strategic realignment and a joint effort with the BSI as the driving force to significantly increase our cybersecurity level."

BSI President Claudia Plattner: "In view of the worrying threat situation, we must not get lost in the minutiae: Germany must see itself as a cyber nation and follow up this self-image with action. For the BSI, the creation of a nationwide central office for cyber security is essential in this context - if only to be able to create a nationwide picture of the situation. In addition, the BSI will be even more committed to trustworthy and at the same time user-friendly digital products and services in the future through pragmatic guidelines."

During the reporting period, the BSI registered around 250,000 new variants of malware and 21,000 systems infected with malware every day. In addition, there are an average of 70 new security vulnerabilities per day, every second of which is classified as high or critical. This corresponds to an increase of 24 per cent compared to the previous year.

Ransomware is the most dangerous type of attack

The professionalism with which attackers proceed in cyberspace is evident in the increased division of labour and the targeted use of AI tools. With regard to the different types of attack, ransomware attacks currently pose the greatest threat. They cause a large part of the economic damage caused by cyber attacks. Attacks with ransomware have a lasting impact on entire value chains. In particular, small and medium-sized enterprises, municipalities and municipal businesses are affected by the often serious consequences of these attacks.

Data theft and cyber espionage

In the reporting period, the threat situation for consumers was characterised in particular by data theft. In many cases, these were also linked to ransomware attacks, in which cybercriminals exfiltrated large amounts of data from organisations with the aim of extortion. In contrast, cyber espionage often serves the goal of political and social influence. In addition, DDoS attacks were repeatedly used to target public institutions during the reporting period. So far, however, these attacks have had no relevant damaging effect.

Destabilisation and disinformation through AI

Politically motivated cyber attacks are not limited to stealing data or paralysing digital services: Attackers are increasingly able to exploit the possibilities of artificial intelligence. Tools with which texts, voices or images can be created, altered or falsified are becoming more readily available and easier to use. The risk of disinformation and cyberbullying through fake images or videos has increased during the reporting period.

You can find the report on the state of IT security in Germany 2023 here: www.bsi.bund.de/Lageberichte

Pressekontakt:

Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik
Pressestelle
Tel.: 0228-999582-5777
E-Mail: presse@bsi.bund.de
Internet: www.bsi.bund.de

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