Hacker attack on police cell phones: millions of damage and big debate!

Hacker attack on police cell phones: millions of damage and big debate!

A hacker attack on the police servers in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania continues to ensure heated debates and many open questions. It is unclear how high the actual material damage is. The possible replacement of the damaged police cell phones could already go into the millions, as n-tv.de reports. The Ministry of the Interior has already taken steps to increase security, but many details remain in the dark.

The attack, which was apparently carried out by hackers from China, led to countermeasures very late after the warnings. According to NDR.de, the cyber criminals were able to collect data unnoticed for a week. The servers were only switched off on May 22nd after the security warnings reached the responsible bodies in good time - but at that time the damage was already caused.

political reactions and demands

In the state parliament, the opposition parties CDU and AfD call for comprehensive information and improvements in IT protection, but find no majority for their concerns. CDU MP Ann Christin von Allwörden in particular criticized the inadequate reactions and the slow transfer of information to the police. It demands better equipment from the IT security organs and an improvement in the early warning system. The AfD MP Jens-Holger Schneider also proposes an independent external special investigator in order to examine the incident in more detail.

Interior Minister Christian Pegel (SPD) admits that there were deficits in the internal reporting system that paved the way for the attack. This refers in particular to the delayed processing of warnings for software that is used for the MPOL devices-cell phones that enable officials to communicate and online queries. "We need organizational security for future warning messages," emphasizes Sebegel and notes that the technical systems urgently need to be modernized.

technical challenges and safety precautions

A total of up to 4,000 police phones could be replaced for security concerns. The connection between cybercrime and current IT security in Germany cannot be overlooked: According to the report of the BSI, the location of cyber security is worrying, with professionalizing criminal structures and a growing number of Zero-Day weak spots.

Telekom and the software support company used to pronounced warnings, but they were not forwarded to the police in time. This not only leads to great uncertainty, but also to a significant decline in the operational readiness of the civil servants, since communication now takes place via radio devices and no longer via the mobile devices.

The complete effects of the hacker attack are currently being examined by a task force from the State Criminal Police Office (LKA). So far, there are no signs that sensitive data, such as GPS information or personal contact details, have actually been able to flow out, which, however, does not rule out that such information could be of interest to criminals.

The events in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania show how important it is to rethink and strengthen our security precautions in the digital age. The discussion will surely stop, because not only the authorities are required here; The citizens also have to realize how important cyber security is.