German federal cybernetic agency BSI said on Friday that the threat to German companies over recent cyberattacks launched through Ukrainian audit software was higher than expected, and some German firms saw production halted for more than a week.
Analyzes by computer experts showed that the waves of attacks had been released through software updates of M.E.DOC accounting software since April, the BSI said in a statement.
That meant companies using the software might have been infected by malicious software, even if there were no obvious signs of a violation, BSI said. Data backups made after April 13 should also be considered compromised.
“Some German companies have seen production and other critical processes put on for more than a week,” said BSI president Arne Schoenbohm. “It has resulted in millions of euros of damages, and this in a case where Germany came out lightly.”
