“Due to a possible cyberattack, the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) has shut down its IT system as a precautionary measure for security reasons. We are currently working intensively on a solution and defense. After testing, the IT systems are successively started up so that the services for companies are then available again,” it said last week. DIHK said it would inform the public as soon as the security of their systems had been fully restored.[1]
“We will inform you on this website and other channels which applications are functional again. As soon as the security of our systems has been fully restored, you will, of course, also be informed,” DIHK said last week.
The DIHK’s chief executive described the cyberattack as massive. “Unfortunately, a serious IT security incident occurred yesterday (4 August). The DIHK organization was subjected to a massive cyber-attack. As a security measure, all Internet connections were blocked immediately,” he said on LinkedIn. “As a result, the website of the IHK Mittleres Ruhrgebiet cannot be reached, and the communication channels via telephone and e-mail have been switched off. Accordingly, digital services are currently not available.” He could not say for how long the measures would be necessary.
The attack, which appears to be a ransomware incident, was having downstream effects on the 79 local arms of the organization. The DIHK offices in Frankfurt, Cologne, Berlin, Lippe and more released statements online confirming that their phone systems were back up and running but that other systems were still down.
Update: Wir sind leider weiterhin nicht via Mail erreichbar, auch die Internetseite ist down. Aber: Telefonisch sind wir erreichbar. Die zentrale Rufnummer lautet 0221-1640 0. Auch vor Ort sind wir persönlich erreichbar, in Zentrale und Geschäftsstellen. — IHK Köln (@ihkkoeln) August 5, 2022
Attacks on German organizations have increased over the last year. In April, the LockBit ransomware group attacked popular German library service Onleihe. The same month, German wind farm operator Deutsche Windtechnik was hit by a cyberattack, while German wind turbine maker Nordex was forced to shut down its IT systems across multiple locations and business units after it was hit with a cyberattack in March. Not long before, a cyberattack on satellite communications company Viasat caused the malfunction of 5,800 Enercon wind turbines in Germany. Oil companies Oiltanking and Mabanaft, both owned by German logistics conglomerate Marquard & Bahls, suffered a cyberattack that crippled their loading and unloading systems in February. The attacks forced Shell to reroute oil supplies to other depots.[2]
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[1] https://cybernews.com/news/german-chambers-of-industry-and-commerce-hit-by-a-massive-cyberattack/
[2] https://therecord.media/massive-cyberattack-hits-german-chambers-of-industry-and-commerce/
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