Berlin is preparing to defend against cyberattacks during election

The city administration is preparing for potential attempts to influence the House of Representatives election. (Archive photo)

According to the Berlin Interior Administration, the risk of disinformation campaigns and cyberattacks in connection with the House of Representatives election is very real.

"Cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns have now become a standard part of the playbook of foreign intelligence services," the administration said in response to a query. The Interior Administration and security agencies are monitoring the situation and implementing appropriate measures to counter cyberattacks, manipulation, and disinformation campaigns. "We are taking all organizational and technical precautions to ensure that the election can be conducted smoothly and securely," Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD) told the German Press Agency. "And we will not allow enemies of democracy to jeopardize our elections."

Currently no concrete evidence of targeted cyberattacks

The Interior Administration notes that there are a total of five state parliamentary elections this year, which also serve as a barometer for federal politics. "In this regard, foreign powers and intelligence services may have an increased interest in influencing the electoral process - including in Berlin - through disinformation and influence campaigns." At present, the Interior Administration has no concrete evidence of targeted cyberattacks. Because voting in the House of Representatives election on September 20 will be conducted via traditional means, direct manipulation through this channel is also rather unlikely.

Hybrid threats continue to pose significant risk

"However, cyberattacks targeting the technical election infrastructure are a possibility," according to the Ministry of the Interior. "These could aim to overload the infrastructure - for example, through so-called DDoS attacks - in order to delay the release of election results and thereby call into question the integrity of the elections themselves." In general: "Hybrid threats are part of these actors’ long-term strategies and continue to pose a high risk." Disinformation campaigns via social media, manipulated websites, or fake accounts are also potential tools for influencing the outcome.