Hackers have not only penetrated the systems of a Hessian insurance company, but have also stolen possible customer data and tried to blackmail the company.
The liability insurance company based in Roßdorf near Darmstadt announced on Wednesday evening that the cyber attack that became known last week "also affected personal data".
The type and scope are still being investigated.
The attackers made demands on the company.
In consultation with the State Criminal Police Office, however, the management decided "not to encourage the criminal machinations" and not to go into it.
Systems taken off the grid
The insurer had the hacker attack on the weekend of 10/11.
July noticed and then took his IT systems offline.
After that, he could not be reached via the Internet or by phone.
Also, only limited business operations were possible.
With 380 employees, the property and casualty insurer looks after around two million insurance contracts with a premium volume of more than 200 million euros.
According to the General Association of the German Insurance Industry (GDV), it was an isolated case and no other cases are known.
The liability insurance company is in contact with the responsible data protection authority.
According to AGCS, the industrial insurer of Allianz SE, the increase in work from home as a result of the corona crisis favors many cyber attacks and creates new opportunities for criminals to gain access to networks and sensitive information - for example because this is not so well protected in the home environment are like in the office.