Germany’s Federal Foreign Office in Berlin has summoned the Chinese ambassador over a cyberattack that targeted the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG) in 2021. A spokesperson for the Foreign Office bluntly declared, “Today, we know that state-controlled Chinese cyber actors have infiltrated the BKG’s network for espionage purposes,” reports Germany's Zeit newspaper.
The BKG is Germany’s agency that deals with mapping and geodata for the entire country. Aside from producing original data, it also works with other government and private sources to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date geographical map of Germany. Although mapping data is readily available on Google Maps and can also be captured by satellites, up-to-date information including the location of government offices, demographics, and other collected are crucial for state security. Furthermore, other critical infrastructure providers rely on BKG data as well, including energy, water supply and treatment, and transportation companies.
