Berlin Rejects $2.4M Bitcoin Ransom Amid Data Breach

Berlin's state government has refused to pay a ransom of 30 BTC (~$2.4 million) demanded by hackers from the Rhysida ransomware group after a data breach on August 14.

The attack disrupted housing and transport services, stalled benefit payments until August 23, and triggered a forensic review led by state and federal cybersecurity agencies ahead of the September 20 election.

Rhysida published 5.7 terabytes of stolen state data on the dark web after the September 4 deadline expired.

The city's chief digital officer, Florian Hauer, stated that 'The State of Berlin will not give in to blackmail. The safety of the State of Berlin's staff and the people of Berlin is our top priority.'