Data security

German cyber defense agency defends handling of data breach

Germany’s BSI cyber defense agency on Saturday defended its role in responding to a far-reaching data breach, saying it could not have connected individual cases it was aware of last year until the entire data release became public.

The government said on Friday that personal data and documents from hundreds of German politicians and public figures including Chancellor Angela Merkel had been published online, in what appeared to be one of Germany’s biggest data breaches.

The incident has shocked the establishment and prompted calls for security agencies to clarify whether any security deficiencies they were aware of had been exploited, and if they could have acted sooner to head off the breach.

The BSI said in a statement that it was contacted by a lawmaker in early December about suspicious activity on their private email and social media accounts.