‘Seun Ibukun-Oni, Abuja

 

DAILY COURIER – The websites of German airports, public administration bodies and financial sector organisations have been hit by cyberattacks instigated by a Russian “hacker group”, authorities said Thursday.

 

A Spokesperson of the German Federal Cyber Security Authority (BSI), who confirmed the attack, said the attacks were aimed “in particular at the websites of airports”, as well as some “targets in the financial sector” and “the websites of federal and state administrations.”

 

Airports in Duesseldorf, Nuremberg and Dortmund said they were affected, while at least two others were reported to have been hit.

 

“The site is being overwhelmed by massive demand,” said a spokesman for Nuremberg airport, adding that it was “uncertain” when it would be back to normal.

 

German news outlet Der Spiegel said a Russian hacker group Killnet had claimed responsibility for the attack.

 

It said the attack was in response to Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s announcement on Wednesday, that Germany would send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine to help repel the Rus

 

Germany has been on high alert for Russian cyberattacks since Moscow invaded Ukraine.

 

Last month, websites of airports, public administration bodies and financial sector organisations were hit by cyberattacks that authorities said were instigated by a Russian hacking group.

 

The Federal Office for Information Security said in October the threat level for hacking attacks and other cybercrime activities was higher “than ever”.

 

On Wednesday, German airline giant Lufthansa was forced to cancel or delay flights due to a major IT outage caused by construction work in Frankfurt, the location of its main hub.