Berlin, Germany – The German Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt) has released its annual report on cybercrime, revealing a persistent high level of threat in the country. According to the report, the German Police Crime Statistics (Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik) recorded a total of 131,391 cybercrime cases in 2024, with an additional 201,877 cases of crimes committed from abroad or of unknown origin.
The report highlights the prevalence of hacktivist DDoS campaigns and a wide range of ransomware attacks, some of which had significant impacts on IT supply chains. The perpetrators of these attacks include both established and new groups, with a focus on pro-Russian and anti-Israeli actors targeting public institutions, authorities, logistics service providers and companies in the manufacturing sector.
In 2024, a total of 950 companies and institutions reported ransomware cases to the police, a significant increase in the severity of cybercrimes. These attacks often involve the copying and encryption of data, followed by demands for ransom. Not only large and well-known companies, but also small and medium-sized enterprises, are being targeted by cybercriminals.
“Cyberattacks have an enormous potential for damage and pose a threat to the economy, state and society” said Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt, adding that the trend of geopolitical conflicts spreading into the digital realm is becoming increasingly apparent and that the hybrid threat in Germany is rising. “The boundaries between financially and politically motivated cyber groups are becoming increasingly blurred” Dobrindt emphasized.