Eichstätt administration paralyzed by cyberattack

The municipal administration of Eichstätt, Germany, has been paralyzed by a cyberattack. As a precautionary measure, the city has taken all its servers offline, resulting in the shutdown of nearly all administrative services. While the city's official website remains functional, telephone systems and email services are currently unavailable.

Investigators suspect a ransomware attack, where data is encrypted and held for ransom. Authorities, including the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) and the Bavarian Central Office for Cybercrime, are working to determine the extent of the breach and whether any sensitive data has been exfiltrated. City spokesperson Sophie Fries stated that the administration is preparing for a potentially prolonged IT outage, as the full impact is not yet clear.

To assist residents, the city has established an information point at the town hall entrance for urgent matters, such as death certificate applications, and has set up a dedicated emergency hotline. Citizens are advised to remain vigilant against potential fraud, particularly regarding any incoming invoices that may be forged as a result of the attack.