Berlin hospitals threatened by spate of attacks

pHospitals in Germanys capital are reporting an increasing number of suspicious incidents including cyberattacks drone flights and arson Experts warn that healthcare facilities are easy targetsppThe Berlin Hospital Association BKG has issued a warning describing a spate of seemingly inexplicable incidents at hospitals and healthcare facilities in the capital These range from drone incursions over hospital grounds and cyberattacks to forced entry and arson ppThe BKG said Germanys security and intelligence services have classified at least some of these attacks as potential acts of hybrid warfare The protection of healthcare facilities is no longer a purely internal matter for hospitals but a task that must be addressed together with the security services according to the BKGppFor security reasons the BKG told DW that it could not disclose exactly where the incidents it refers to in the statement took place The growing hybrid threat had prompted the BKG to raise awareness among Berlin hospitals to establish effective selfprotection it said ppThere are more than 80 hospitals in Berlin including the Charite Europes largest university hospital which offers allaround care and conducts cuttingedge researchppIn November a powerful explosion severely damaged the Vivantes hospital in southeast Berlin A few hours later a fire broke out at the entrance to the Charite hospital in the central district of Mitte In both cases the incidents damaged areas for the treatment of cancer patients That prompted the state security services to launch an investigation on suspicion of politically motivated arson ppOver the summer it was reported that six separate fires had broken out in the basement of Berlins Bundeswehrkrankenhaus BWK military hospital also in Mitte Citing security sources the BZ newspaper reported that speculation included a possible connection to the treatment of Ukrainian soldiers at the facilityppTo view this video please enable JavaScript and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 videoppThe Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution BfV told DW that it is not currently observing any increased hybrid activities by foreign intelligence services or other agencies of foreign powers in connection with hospitals ppHowever it said hospitals have been targeted by various cybercrime actors in recent years adding that it is investigating a series of ransomware attacks by suspected Russian cybercrime actors in GermanyppThere are increasing signs that the line between cyberespionage and cybercrime is becoming increasingly blurred A direct connection to Russian state agencies cannot usually be clearly proven the BfV statement saidppManuel Atug is the founder of the AG Kritis an association of experts focused on improving IT security and the resilience of critical infrastructure in Germany He told DW that hospitals are more likely to be targeted by ransomware gangs who extort money than statesponsored actorsppIt is almost always a question of money This is very common but of course rarely there can also be sabotage or espionage said Atug We have seen hospitals being broken into recently and there have also been drone flights over hospitalsppHospitals have always been targets because they are poorly prepared largely due to a lack of investment according to Atug which affected smaller clinics in particularppOften also publicly funded hospitals just dont have the money while others have funds but prefer to invest them in their major profit centers rather than in all facilities he said ppAtug also pointed to increased aggression against emergency service workers which he linked to misinformation spread onlineppThats a general level of aggression that isnt limited to cyberattacks or acts of sabotage there is a growing willingness to use violence against those who are trying to help he saidppIn 2024 683 cases of violence against firefighters were recorded nationwide with 1012 people affected A total of 2042 cases were recorded for other rescue workers according to data from Germanys Federal Criminal Police Office ppOn January 27 a suspected arson attack on the Berlin Jewish Hospital left 14 injured A 71yearold patient allegedly set fire to an object in his room that spread to a mattress and ignited a blaze Berlins State Criminal Police is now investigating in consultation with the security servicesppA recent sabotage of power lines in southwest Berlin at the beginning of the year left around 100000 people without heating power and internet for several days in freezing cold temperatures The leftwing extremist Vulkangruppe Volcano Group claimed responsibility for the attack however investigations are ongoingppFelix Neumann an extremism and counterterrorism expert at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation a German political foundation affiliated with the ruling centerright Christian Democratic Union CDU party said Germany still had a lot to do in terms of protecting critical infrastructure from malign actors ppThings have been done to protect Germany but a too late and b not enough he told DW Are we set up for the current situation No not really But are there talks and strategies to deal with the current situation Thats for sureppThe Berlin Hospital Association said Berlin was already moving in the right direction with its Civil Defense of Hospitals Framework Plan ZVKH presented in summer 2025 Berlin is the first German state to draw up this type of plan but Neumann said targeted investments in the structural and technical resilience of the health care system were also essential ppIn October the German Hospital Institute and the Institute for Health Care Business published a study into the scale of investment needed to defend German hospitals in various scenariosppTo view this video please enable JavaScript and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 videoppThe study identified a long list of security problems including staff shortages a lack of cybersecurity and security on the ground unguarded access points and largely inadequate preparation for potential chemical biological nuclear and military threats ppStorage capacities for medicine blood products and emergency power are currently only sufficient for peacetime the study found These vulnerabilities also apply to rehab facilities nursing homes and psychiatric clinicsppThe study estimated that 27 billion 32 billion would be required with additional operating costs of 670 million per year to protect Germanys hospitals at the current threat level of cyberattacks and acts of sabotageppOn January 29 the Bundestag passed a new law the KRITISDachgesetz to shore up protection of critical infrastructure including IT and telecommunications systems amid an increase in attacks and espionage in EuropeppThe law was tightened via a supplementary resolution following the attack on power lines in southwest Berlin It obligates companies and institutions in strategically important sectors to improve the physical protection of their facilitiesppPotential attackers should no longer be able to access information on sensitive data and vulnerabilities for example the precise route of power lines  a strategy criticized by AG KritisppIn a statement the Berlin State Department of the Interior told DW that there continues to be a high level of abstract risk in Berlin This was due to both intensified espionage and sabotage activities by foreign intelligence services in particular Russia and the rising threat of extremist groups ppBoth anticonstitutional actors and intelligence services are involved in activities aimed at disrupting public order attacking the states ability to act and spreading fear and terror among the people institutions and companies affected the statement saidppEdited by Rina GoldenbergppWhile youre here Every Tuesday DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefingp