Berlin State Government Refuses Ransom After Data Theft From Administrative Network
The state government of Berlin confirmed in late August 2026 that it had been targeted by an extortion attempt following a breach of the city-state’s administrative computer network earlier in the month. Officials said the intrusion led to the theft of data from government systems and stated publicly that Berlin will not pay the ransom demanded by the attackers.
In the same statement, Berlin authorities disclosed that ongoing forensic analysis had uncovered additional data outflows connected to the portfolio of the Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and Environment, indicating the compromise may extend beyond what was initially identified. The city-state has not publicly named the group behind the attack or detailed the full extent of the data exposed, and the investigation remains ongoing. The case adds to a run of extortion attempts against European public-sector bodies in 2026 in which attackers rely on the threat of publishing stolen data, rather than file-encrypting ransomware, to pressure victims into paying.