The Sparkasse subsidiary can start up the first systems again after the serious hacker attack. The cyber attack became known two weeks ago.
(Photo: Deutsche Leasing)
Frankfurt Two weeks after a serious hacker attack at Deutsche Leasing, the savings bank subsidiary can use the first operating systems and applications again. More systems would start up every day, explained Deutsche Leasing.
Upon request, the company further stated that it has still not received any ransom demands. According to its own statements, Deutsche Leasing currently has no indication of whether data has been stolen. “The analyzes are not yet complete here.”
The company reacted to the cyber attack with an emergency plan and switched off access to the systems. After that, around 2,500 employees were asked not to appear in the office. The company from Bad Homburg, for example, could not do any new business.
Payment transactions are now running smoothly. “Leasing installments are collected and the company meets all payment obligations.” What is unusual about the attack on Deutsche Leasing is that it almost completely paralyzed the company for so long. Only e-mails worked quickly again.
In Germany, the security authorities have been warning of increased hacker attacks for months, also because of the Ukraine war. As early as the summer of last year, it became clear that the number of cyber attacks from Russia and China had increased significantly.
Danger increases through the use of artificial intelligence
According to a study, eleven percent of companies in Germany fell victim to hacker attacks in 2022. Observers assume that the danger is increasing because criminals are increasingly using artificial intelligence.
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In May, the ATU chain of car repair shops fell victim to a cyber attack. In April it hit the armaments group and automotive supplier Rheinmetall.
Almost a year ago, the attack on the automotive supplier Continental attracted a lot of attention. At the beginning of July 2022, hackers gained access to the company’s IT systems. The IT staff managed to kick out the attackers. But shortly afterwards it turned out that the hackers had captured an enormous amount of data.
Deutsche Leasing now emphasized that the cyber attack only affected some of the systems. The majority of IT is not directly affected. “For security reasons and with a view to interfaces with our customers, we had to shut down the entire IT.”
When commissioning the systems and applications, the company now relies on more security. Deutsche Leasing points out that it had previously started “to set up a new and very secure IT infrastructure” in its own data center.
Deutsche Leasing belongs to the almost 360 savings banks and is the largest leasing company in Germany. Leasing is an alternative to traditional credit for companies. Leasing companies buy cars, machines or other company equipment and rent them out to their customers. The customer pays a leasing fee for this and can use the objects.
More: Eleven percent of companies “hacked” in 2022