Digital attacks: intelligence services were parliament before "hurricane"

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At the annual public hearing of the Bundestag's Parliamentary Control Committee in Berlin on Monday, the heads of the German intelligence services issued a number of warnings. Because the threat situation is increasingly digital, the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) and the Military Counterintelligence Service (Militärischer Abschirmdienst MAD) would like more corresponding competencies.

The heads of the intelligence services painted a serious picture of the situation: these are difficult times in terms of security policy, according to BND head Bruno Kahl. He is particularly concerned about Russia. "The Kremlin sees the Federal Republic of Germany as an enemy," said the BND President. "Whether we like it or not, we are in direct conflict with Russia."

Russian "spearhead"

Russian intelligence services would work as a "spearhead in hybrid warfare" with all available means to restrict the West's ability to act – including and especially with cyberattacks. The BND President warned that Putin would continue to test the West's "red lines" and escalate the confrontation further.

Considering the situation, the control of the intelligence services must not be at the expense of the services' ability to work, Kahl admonished the parliamentary controllers and demanded "operational legroom".

The traffic light wants to change the legal framework for the intelligence services. The Ministry of the Interior has not yet produced a draft for the second stage of the amendment. Apparently, the data protection supervision of the intelligence services is to be shifted from the Federal Data Protection Commissioner to the Independent Supervisory Council for the Intelligence Services.

The major crises are hitting the security situation in Germany with full force, emphasized Thomas Haldenwang, President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV). The storm that the services had previously warned of had now become a "veritable hurricane" moving from east to west. The activities of Russian intelligence services would show: Germany is the focus of a hybrid war by Russia against Western democracies.

"Russia is using its entire toolbox for this: from influencing political discussions within Germany to cyberattacks against critical infrastructure and sabotage," reported Haldenwang. The coordination of the many parties involved in IT security incidents is now working better: "We have all understood."

When it comes to espionage and sabotage, Russia is increasingly relying on criminals as proxies – for drone missions such as the one over Brunsbüttel, reported Haldenwang. "You can equip a drone with cameras, but you can also equip it with explosives." The MAD, which is responsible for the Bundeswehr, is also concerned about the use of drones in the Ukraine war.

Propaganda on the internet

Since its introduction, the consultation has included asking the service chiefs what additional powers they would need. According to BfV President Haldenwang, online propaganda remains a major challenge for terrorist groups, especially when it comes to self-radicalization. The crisis in the Middle East is an accelerant, the "sometimes disturbing images from Lebanon and the Gaza Strip" are used for propaganda.

The services must therefore be allowed to be on internet platforms to identify radicalizing individual perpetrators, the BfV President demanded. His service wants to use more artificial intelligence (AI) and needs software and hardware for this. With additional resources, it is important not to jeopardize the trust of the population. Therefore, the powers must be controlled, but not in such a way that the processes are not hindered.

The MAD also wishes to expand its cyber capabilities. If you want to "learn something about people", the internet is the tool of choice, said Martina Rosenberg, President of the Federal Office for Military Counterintelligence (BAMAD). The BND already uses AI for its tasks, reported President Bruno Kahl.

The Office for the Protection of the Constitution is responsible for disinformation campaigns by foreign states in Germany. There are challenges here in particular, said Thomas Haldenwang. He cited the doppelganger campaign on Facebook as one example. It is a problem that traditional media no longer reach parts of the population –, especially young people and children, who primarily inform themselves in their social media bubbles.

Even if the upcoming Bundestag elections are certainly under attack: The voting process itself is relatively secure due to the paper method, Haldenwang emphasized. He believes that the election as a whole will be comparatively secure. However, hacks against parties such as the recent one against the CDU should be taken seriously. So far, there are no concrete indications that data obtained from parties has been misused, said Haldenwang, but it is too early to sound the all-clear.

Without the Linke, BSW and AfD

Since 2017, the Parliamentary Oversight Committee has met publicly with the heads of the intelligence services once a year. There are currently no members of the AfD, the Links-Partei or the Sahra Wagenknecht Bündnis on the committee. The Bundestag did not elect an AfD representative to the committee, and André Hahn, who was originally elected as a member of the Linke, has no longer been invited to the committee's meetings since the Links-Partei lost its parliamentary group status due to the split-off of the BSW.

(nie)