Germany says hackers infiltrated data network

Sources blame Russian hackers

BERLIN — Hackers using highly sophisticated software penetrated the German government’s main data network, a system that was supposed to be particularly secure and is used by the chancellor’s office, ministries and the parliament, government officials have said.

The cyberattack is ongoing and may have caused “considerable damage,” members of parliament’s intelligence oversight committee said Thursday, indicating the threat is more serious than initially thought.

German news outlets, citing security sources, have widely blamed a Russian hacking group backed by the Russian government — either one called Snake, or another known as APT28, or Fancy Bear. But Berlin has not publicly said who was behind the attack.

The attack was narrowly targeted, apparently seeking specific information, said Patrick Sensburg, a lawmaker with the governing Conservative Party. Officials would not say how successful the intrusion was, or what data the hackers may have taken.

The parliamentary committee responsible for monitoring Germany’s intelligence services called a special session Thursday, demanding information about the hacking, which was first reported Wednesday by the German news agency Deutsche PresseAgentur, or dpa.

“We have suffered a veritable cyberattack on parts of the government network,” Armin Schuster, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative party, told reporters Thursday.

He declined to give any further information, saying that the attack was continuing, as was an investigation into who might be behind it. “A public discussion would serve as a warning to the attackers that we simply do not want to give them,” Mr. Schuster said. “… The betrayal of state secrets on its own represents significant damage.”