A Sparkasse subsidiary can reboot the first system after a serious hack. Two weeks ago, the cyber attack became known.
(Photo: Deutsche Leasing)
frankfurt Two weeks after Deutsche Leasing suffered a serious hack, the savings bank subsidiary can once again use the original operating system and applications. Deutsche Leasing explained that more systems are being activated every day.
Upon request, the company further stated that it still has not received any ransom demands. By its own account, Deutsche Leasing currently has no indication whether the data was stolen. “The analysis here is not complete.”
The company responded to the cyberattack with contingency plans and shut down access to systems. Some 2,500 employees have since been asked not to show up at the office. For example, companies from Bad Homburg were unable to start any new business.
The payment transaction is now running smoothly. “The lease installments were collected and the company fulfilled all payment obligations.” The attack on Deutsche Leasing was unusual in that it nearly completely paralyzed the company for so long. Only email works quickly again.
In Germany, security authorities have been warning for months of an increase in hacking attacks, also because of the war in Ukraine. As early as last summer, the number of cyberattacks in Russia and China increased significantly.
The use of artificial intelligence increases the danger
According to a study, 11% of companies in Germany will be victims of hacking in 2022. Observers believe the danger is growing as criminals increasingly use artificial intelligence.
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In May, the ATU chain of car repair shops fell victim to a cyber attack. In April, it attacked the arms group and auto supplier Rheinmetall.
About a year ago, an attack on automotive supplier Continental gained widespread attention. In early July 2022, hackers gained access to the company’s IT systems. IT staff managed to drive off the attackers. But it didn’t take long before it turned out that the hackers captured a ton of data.
Deutsche Leasing now stresses that the cyberattack only affected some of the systems. Most IT will not be directly impacted. “For security reasons and to deal with our customers, we had to shut down the entire IT.”
The company now relies on greater security when debugging systems and applications. Deutsche Leasing noted that it had previously started “building a new, very secure IT infrastructure” in its own data centers.
Deutsche Leasing belongs to nearly 360 savings banks and is the largest leasing company in Germany. Leasing is an alternative to traditional credit for companies. Rental companies purchase cars, machinery, or other company equipment and lease them to customers. Customers pay a rental fee for this and can use the items.
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