Leaked files contains identity documents, payslips and employment references, among other personal data.
Cybercriminals claiming to be from a group called ‘Rhysida’ leaked nearly 6TB of sensitive data from the Berlin state administration after hacking the government department last month. The attack comes just weeks before Berlin is set to conduct state elections.
Rhysida claimed responsibility for the attack on its leak site on 28 August, posting an entry titled ‘Berlin, Germany’, which contained nearly 1.5m files – sized 5.79TB – including personal information on more than 12,000 individuals.
The data was leaked last Friday (4 September) after the German state refused to pay a ransom of 30 bitcoins, equivalent to around €2m.
The Berlin Senate Chancellery and security authorities said they are conducting a thorough review of the data following the leak.
