Briefing: Germany warns firms about possible Chinese cyberattacks

German security office warned German firms about Chinese hacking: report – Reuters

What happened: Germany’s Office for Information Security (BSI) has reportedly warned firms that they could be victims of hacking attacks, with Chinese activity against German companies increasing. The BSI says the firms were named by the US. According to the report, the attacks may not be happening on a weekly basis, but the attackers act in a more targeted way, which could result in considerable damage.

Why it’s important: In September, a German spy chief said a growing number of counties could hack into private computer networks hoping to sabotage another country’s infrastructure. He pointed out that nations including China and Russia have continued to try and break into German companies’ networks to steal industrial information. The report comes the same week Germany is set to toughen rules on non-EU acquisitions of strategic German companies amid growing fears of takeovers by Chinese firms.