Public utility Stadtwerke Landsberg investigates cyberattack

Landsberg (energate) – Stadtwerke Landsberg is dealing with the aftermath of a cyberattack. The Upper Bavarian utility is now able to handle customer enquiries and conclude contracts again. However, availability by phone and email remains limited, according to a notice on the municipal utility’s website. The incident was a ransomware attack, in which attackers block and encrypt access to their victims’ IT systems. Essential public services, including operation of the electricity and district heating networks, EV charging infrastructure, the fibre-optic network and water supply, were not affected by the attack, management stressed. Investigations are still under way to determine whether, and to what extent, the criminals extracted data from Stadtwerke Landsberg’s IT systems. So far, there are no reliable indications that systems belonging to customers or partners were affected, the company said. The theft of sensitive customer and business partner data is one of the biggest risks associated with cyberattacks.

Essential public services, including operation of the electricity and district heating networks, EV charging infrastructure, the fibre-optic network and water supply, were not affected by the attack, management stressed. Investigations are still under way to determine whether, and to what extent, the criminals extracted data from Stadtwerke Landsberg’s IT systems. So far, there are no reliable indications that systems belonging to customers or partners were affected, the company said. The theft of sensitive customer and business partner data is one of the biggest risks associated with cyberattacks.

Data theft poses a major security risk

It is not uncommon for such data sets to appear on the dark web following attacks. This happened, for example, after an attack on the North Rhine-Westphalian regional utility GSM . As a result, GSM’s management recently felt compelled to issue an urgent warning to its customers. The danger: Data such as email addresses, account numbers, login details for customer accounts or even the terms of energy contracts could be misused for purposes including so-called phishing. A spokeswoman for the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) recently warned energate this. The agency has for some time recognised an increased threat level for the energy sector. It has issued specific recommendations on how Kritis companies should proceed in the event of an emergency to limit damage and avert further risks.

Emergency plans help restore normal operations quickly

According to the company, the attack on Stadtwerke Landsberg became acute at the beginning of last week. The fact that the utility was able to resume normal operations relatively quickly in the affected areas was due to its emergency plans and a multi-track strategy. While the crisis team worked on resolving the incident, the company shifted important processes to temporary fallback systems. The utility had also “responded immediately and taken extensive security measures straight away”, management stressed.

In addition to disconnecting from the internet and temporarily shutting down the entire IT system, this included bringing in external cybersecurity experts and involving all relevant authorities. Furthermore, the municipal utility reported the incident to the investigating authorities. This was followed by “in-depth forensic investigations” and “thorough checks of the networks and systems”, which are intended to help resolve the incident completely. /pa

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