Cyberattacks on companies in Germany are increasingly being carried out from Russia and China, according to a study by the digital association Bitkom published in Berlin on Friday, writes German news agency DPA.
Of the more than 1,000 companies surveyed across sectors, 46% were able to trace attacks back to Russia this year, compared to 23% in 2021.
Another 42% of attacked companies are certain that they were attacked from China, compared to 30% in 2021.
Another 42% of attacked companies are certain that they were attacked from China, compared to 30% in 2021.
Just over one-third of attacked companies (37%) were unable to determine the geographical origin of the attacks.
Meanwhile, 29% of those affected say they were attacked from Germany and 25% suspect that the attackers were based in Eastern Europe.
Hackers with malicious intentions from the United States (18%) and other countries in the European Union (11%) played a subordinate role.
When asked about the origin of the cyber attacks, companies could select multiple answers.
Sinan Selen, Vice President of the German domestic intelligence services, said that these self-assessments by companies coincided with the findings of his agency.
When analysing the attacks, he said, it is possible to determine a kind of fingerprint of the attackers.
“In many cases, we can trace the origin very precisely, sometimes down to specific districts” from which the attacks originated.
According to the Bitkom study, cyberattacks are responsible for almost three quarters (72%) of the total damage caused to the German economy by data theft, sabotage and industrial espionage.
This corresponds to around €148 billion ($160 billion) and is a significant increase compared to the previous year, when only 63% and thus around €128 billion could be attributed to cyber attacks.
