The company explained that the so-called The DDoS attack hit their IT systems on Tuesday and Wednesday, causing interruptions in the display of travel information and booking tools on the official website and in the Navigator app.
– DB is an institution that was and continues to be vulnerable to attacks on its IT systems – the company’s press release states. “The current attack is specifically targeting DB and is occurring in waves. The scale of the attack is significant.”
A DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack means overloading the IT system with a large number of requests from different sources, which can lead to its downtime or crash. Many such attacks are considered a form of digital vandalism.
Deutsche Bahn informed users of the outages on Tuesday afternoon, and by evening the systems were mostly back to normal. However, new problems emerged on Wednesday morning, with the company citing cyber attacks as the cause.
– Our defensive measures have been put into effect in order to minimize the consequences for our customers – Deutsche Bahn states. “We will not comment on speculation about the background of the attack. Our top priority remains the protection of user data and the availability of our information and booking systems.”
Deutsche Bahn operates passenger and freight trains as well as commuter trains in many German cities.
A spokeswoman for Germany’s Ministry of the Interior said the company is in contact with state authorities in charge of cyber security.
Germany’s security agencies have previously warned that transport infrastructure is a prime target for cyber and physical attacks, especially given heightened tensions over Russia-linked hacking groups and hybrid threats.
Last year saw almost daily attacks, including sabotage of key rail routes between Hamburg and Berlin, and between Cologne and Düsseldorf. In one case, a device exploded in the tunnel through which the train passes, and in another, overhead electric cables were cut.
Lawmakers and investigators have considered the possibility of Russian involvement in the sabotage as part of a multi-layered attack on the lives of German citizens.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt spoke of alleged “paid agents” who are not part of foreign governments but carry out cybercrime or physical attacks on infrastructure for money.
Germany has also been hit by a series of infrastructure attacks claimed by activists from the left of the political spectrum.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
