Major German energy supplier hit by cyberattack

Enercity, one of Germany’s largest municipal energy suppliers, confirmed it was targeted by a cyberattack on Wednesday morning.

The Hannover-based company said its security systems “reacted immediately” and that “greater damage to the company” has been averted.

Enercity confirmed that it would continue supplying energy to customers, explaining its operational technology and critical infrastructure was not affected. “Our grids and power plants are stable and the security of supply is guaranteed,” the company stated.

However the attack has impacted customer service, which has limited availability. The company added: “Not all IT systems can currently be used to their full extent, which means that they may be minor restrictions.”

The attack comes days after Germany's federal cybersecurity office warned that the threat situation facing the country was "higher than ever."

The energy sector in Germany has been repeatedly targeted by criminals in recent months.

Several cyber incidents preceding the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February affected the oil and chemical sector in the country — as well as in Germany’s neighbors — provoking concerns that they were part of a criminal campaign coordinated by Russian intelligence.

A Belgian official downplayed to The Record concerns that the attacks were linked, however indictments against Russian cybercriminals such as Maksim Yakubets have alleged that Russia’s Federal Security Service has at times turned to domestic cyber criminals for foreign operations.