Hackers steal staff data in cyberattack on Berlin's Charite hospital
The attackers accessed names and organisational details of employees, students and external contacts, not patient data, the hospital says.
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Hackers broke into a server at Berlin's Charite university hospital and stole personal data belonging to staff, students and external contacts, the hospital said in an email to those affected on Friday. Patient data was "expressly not affected," Charite said.
A hospital spokesperson confirmed the stolen data included only names and organisational affiliations, not sensitive health information, and said there was no indication so far that the data had been published or misused. The hospital said the point of entry had been quickly identified and closed, and that patient care was not affected.
The breach appears to have taken place several days before being disclosed; Charite's website was briefly unreachable on Tuesday after the attack was detected and affected systems were taken offline, German outlets Tagesspiegel and Zeit Online reported. Charite said it had filed a criminal complaint and hired an external IT firm to assist, as required under EU data protection rules.
The University of Leipzig separately reported a more serious cyberattack this week, taking all of its internet-connected servers offline, including its website and email system, Tagesspiegel reported. Universities and research institutes in the Berlin area have faced repeated hacking attempts in recent years, including an intrusion into the email account of the president of the Berlin Science Centre and an attack on the Canvas learning platform used by Berlin's ESMT private university.
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What we know
- Official · Charité Hackers stole personal data of staff, students and external contacts from a Charite hospital server in Berlin; patient data was not affected, the hospital said.
- Official · Charité spokesperson Only names and organisational affiliations were taken, a hospital spokesperson said, with no sign so far the data was published or misused.
- Official · Charité Charite said the point of entry was quickly closed and patient care was unaffected; it has filed a criminal complaint and hired outside IT help.
- Official · University of Leipzig The University of Leipzig separately reported a larger cyberattack this week that took all its internet-connected servers offline.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
Hospitals and universities in the Berlin area have faced repeated hacking attempts in recent years, including an intrusion into the Berlin Science Centre president's email account and an attack on the Canvas platform used by ESMT university. The Charite breach adds to a pattern of attacks on German research and healthcare institutions, even though this one did not reach patient records.
Sources
Reported by 3 reports from 3 independent outlets in 2 countries.
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Questions and answers
- Was patient data stolen?
- No; Charite said only staff, student and external-contact names and affiliations were taken, not health data.
- Has the stolen data been misused?
- The hospital said there was no indication so far that it had been published or misused.
- Is this linked to the Leipzig University hack?
- No; Tagesspiegel reported it separately as a distinct, larger attack that took all of Leipzig University's servers offline.
This article was written with AI assistance from 3 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.