Media revealed leak of German Bundeswehr data on secret online meetings

Photo: The media discovered a new data leak of the German Bundeswehr (Getty Images)

In the German Bundeswehr, there has been a leak of data about secret video conferences. Secret information was accessible on the internet in open access, report Die Zeit and DW.

The German newspaper Die Zeit conducted an investigation, revealing that data from secret online conferences of the Bundeswehr had been accessible on the internet for months.

The conferences were held using the Webex video conferencing system, owned by the American conglomerate Cisco.

The publication found data on 6,000 conferences online, but the actual number of conferences whose information was available online could be much higher.

While the recordings of the press conferences themselves were not available online, their schedules, duration, topics, and the name of the organizer could be found. Journalists were able to join personal video conference rooms of many Bundeswehr employees, including the commander of the German Air Force. These rooms were not password-protected.

Die Zeit noted that the leak could be serious, as some conferences were marked as secret. The publication stated that the Bundeswehr failed to prevent the leakage of confidential information due to this security gap.

Officially, Germany has not confirmed the leak, but the Bundeswehr ceased using the Webex platform on May 3 after journalists submitted a request.

Not the first data leak in Germany

Previously, a scandal dubbed Taurus-Leaks erupted in Germany when Russian propagandist Margarita Simonyan published intercepted secret conversations of German military personnel. They were discussing the possibility of supplying and using Taurus cruise missiles in Ukraine.

An investigation was launched in Germany due to the data leak. Western media reported that this scandal hit Olaf Scholz’s campaign hard, as partners began demanding answers about how Russia obtained the recording.

For more details on the data leak scandal, read the article by RBC-Ukraine.