A cybersecurity incident has severed Berlin’s state ministries from the government’s IT network as investigators assess the scope, leaving several agencies effectively cut off from email and internet access.

The affected ministries include the Senate Administration for Urban Development, Building and Housing and the Senate Administration for Mobility, Transport, Environment and Climate Protection.

For now, the two administrations remain operational but unreachable by email and largely contactable only by phone, with some staff told that remote work is not possible during the disruption.

Attribution for who carried out the attack remains unclear at this time.

The release includes a brief 27-second video update that outlines the essentials without additional details.

The attack is treated as serious and significant, with authorities withholding further details on scope and background for tactical reasons.

Public services disruptions persist, and there is no announced timeline for restoring normal network access or service functionality.

Experts criticize years of insufficient IT budgets and outdated systems, arguing that lack of transparency and slow crisis communication hindered the response.

The disruption specifically affects the electronic process for mail-in voting materials, not all election operations.

Cybersecurity experts are analyzing systems to determine the attack’s scope, entry points, and impacted digital resources.

Officials have withheld details on scope and background for investigative reasons; it remains unclear whether data were exfiltrated, though there are indications that data may have leaked.

Affected ministries include climate action and building/housing, with operational disruptions and attacker identity or group not yet disclosed.