German Air Traffic Control Targeted in State-Sponsored Cyber Attack
Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS), Germany’s air traffic control agency based in Langen, Frankfurt, recently confirmed a cyber attack that had minimal impact on its operations. Thanks to a robust business continuity plan, critical functions remained unaffected.
The attack has been attributed to APT28 (Fancy Bear), a Russian state-sponsored hacking group linked to previous high-profile breaches, including the 2015 cyber attack on the German Bundestag and interference in the 2016 U.S. elections. Active since 2007, the group has targeted government, military, and private sector entities worldwide.
Germany has seen a surge in cyber threats, particularly since its support for Ukraine in the Russia conflict. According to Reuters, Germany is now the third most targeted nation by Russian cyber adversaries, behind the U.S. and Australia.
In a related development, Bitkom, Germany’s digital association, reported that digital sabotage cost German companies €267 billion in 2023 a 29% increase from the previous year. The survey found that 70% of affected firms were targeted by major cybercrime groups, leading to data theft, operational disruptions, and in some cases, business closures due to legal and financial fallout.
While Russia remains a significant threat, China has emerged as Germany’s top cyber adversary, followed by Russia in second place.
Source: https://www.cybersecurity-insiders.com/russia-apt28-cyber-attacks-german-air-traffic-control-2/
DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/dfs-deutsche-flugsicherung-gmbh
"id": "DFS1769024348",
"linkid": "dfs-deutsche-flugsicherung-gmbh",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "6/2007",
"severity": "60",
"impact": "2",
"explanation": "Attack limited on finance or reputation"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Air Traffic Control',
'location': 'Langen, Frankfurt, Germany',
'name': 'Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS)',
'type': 'Government Agency'}],
'description': 'Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS), Germany’s air traffic control '
'agency, confirmed a cyber attack attributed to APT28 (Fancy '
'Bear), a Russian state-sponsored hacking group. The attack '
'had minimal impact on operations due to a robust business '
'continuity plan.',
'impact': {'operational_impact': 'Minimal impact on critical functions due to '
'business continuity plan'},
'motivation': 'State-Sponsored Espionage/Sabotage',
'references': [{'source': 'Reuters'}, {'source': 'Bitkom'}],
'response': {'incident_response_plan_activated': 'Yes (Business Continuity '
'Plan)'},
'threat_actor': 'APT28 (Fancy Bear)',
'title': 'State-Sponsored Cyber Attack on German Air Traffic Control',
'type': 'State-Sponsored Cyber Attack'}