BND Vice President Dag Baehr admits to using compromised phone number

Dag Baehr, the military Vice President of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND), has admitted to continuing to use a mobile phone number that was compromised in a previous data breach. The information, which includes his private phone number, email addresses, and residential address in Bavaria, originated from a 2020 hacker attack on a US-based auction house that leaked approximately 3.4 million customer records.

Baehr, who oversees strategic military intelligence regarding topics such as Russian nuclear weapons and North Korean missile programs, acknowledged the situation, stating, “That was a mistake.” He defended his actions by noting the number was used only privately and in a limited capacity, adding that the device undergoes regular malware checks. However, security experts warn that such exposure makes high-ranking officials vulnerable to espionage, phishing, and the creation of movement profiles by adversaries.