Data Leaked Online: Cyber-Crooks Attack German Politicians, Steal Huge Cache of Sensitive Documents

In a shocking turn of events, hackers post personal data of hundreds of German politicians from major parties including Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Reuters reported on Friday.

“With regard to the Chancellery, it seems that judging by the initial review, no sensitive information and data have been published and this includes (from) the chancellor,” a government spokesperson told reporters while addressing a government press conference.

The data, later leaked on Twitter, include credit card numbers, phone numbers, private chats, addresses, copies of identity cards, and personal letters.

According to the report, thespokesperson, Martina Fietz, mentionedpoliticians fromthe far-left Linke party among thoseaffectedincluding Dietmar Bartschwhile addressing the press conference. The politicians from the far-right AfD party remain unaffected, the spokesperson confirmed.

“Personal data and documents from politicians and public personalities have been published online,” Ms.Fietz confirmed. “The German government is taking this incident very seriously.”Ms.Fietz was quoted as saying.

“The perpetrators wanted to damage our trust in democracy and our institutions,” she added.

Among those partiesaffected include Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats and Bavarian sister party, Liberal FDP, the Social Democrats (SPD), and the Greens.

“We have been dealing with the issue since yesterday evening and are currently informing our people,” an SPD spokesman told German news agency DPA.