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Hacker attack on police phones: 3,500 devices unusable!
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is fighting for IT security after a hacker attack: 3,500 company cell phones affected, websites accessible to a limited extent.
Hacker attack on police phones: 3,500 devices unusable!
A massive hacker attack has hit the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state police and is causing excitement in the region. Over 3,500 company cell phones may be permanently unusable, a setback that will significantly impact police work. Officials cannot currently access police databases or use internal SMS communication. Instead, they have to rely on radio again, which significantly reduces the reaction speed during operations. The issue was sparked when unknown hackers gained access to the mPol server that manages the cell phones and possibly accessed internal information such as usernames and email addresses. This is reported, among others, by NDR.
The Ministry of the Interior initially only spoke of limited use of the devices, which did not ease the police officers' concerns. The police union (GdP) sees this incident as a significant setback for the police officers on site and is calling for faster investments in qualified personnel and modern technology. From now on, private use of cell phones via a second SIM card is no longer possible, which further limits the flexibility of officials.
Consequences for the digital infrastructure
In parallel to the incident with the company cell phones, there were also DDoS attacks on the websites of the state government and the police in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. These attacks, which began on Thursday morning, resulted in limited access to a lot of important information, especially on specialist websites for individual departments. The state digitization minister Christian Pegel (SPD) confirmed that this is not the first such attack. According to Stuttgarter Nachrichten, similar attacks took place in April and November 2023.
The attacks are a direct challenge to IT security in the region. Experts at the responsible data processing center (DVZ) are therefore working intensively to ward off further waves and restore the systems. Concern about further attacks is omnipresent, which puts the focus on the rapid restoration of the digital infrastructure and the security of citizens and officials.
Political reactions and demands
The political debate surrounding the incidents is gaining momentum. The Ministry of the Interior informed the Interior Committee of the state parliament, with the meeting being classified as “classified information”. This has led to criticism from the opposition, with the CDU and AfD accusing the ministry of accepting tips about possible hacking risks. However, the Greens are calling for more transparency regarding the classification of the report. The incident will be a hot topic in the state parliament and the demand for answers is growing louder.
Overall, the situation shows that digital security must be a top priority in police work and beyond. The protection of sensitive data and the functionality of digital means of communication are essential for the functioning of law and order. Citizens are asked to remain vigilant as authorities work to educate and improve their security measures.