Germany fires Cyber Security Chief over alleged Russia ties

Germany fires Cyber Security Chief over alleged Russia ties

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PUREVPNNewsGermany fires Cyber Security Chief over alleged Russia ties

German’s interior ministry fired the cyber security chief officer Arne Schönbohm on October 18th after the allegations made by the Satire TV show broadcasted on ZDF that he has been in contact with Russian intelligence services through a consultancy he co-founded. 

In 2012 he co-founded the Cyber Security Council Germany to advise companies and organizations on Cyber Security matters before being appointed as the Head of BSI in 2016. Since then, he has had close ties with the council and attended their 10th-anniversary celebrations in September.

Protelion, a cybersecurity firm subsidiary of a Russian company, was also one of the council members established by a former KGB agent honored by President Vladimir Putin. 

An interior ministry spokesman told AFP on Tuesday that he has now been relieved of his duties “with immediate effect,” mentioning “the allegations revealed and widely discussed in the media” as one of the reasons behind the move.

He added: The allegations “have permanently damaged the necessary public trust” in Schoenbohm as head of the authority.

“This is all the more true in the current crisis regarding Russian hybrid warfare,” he added.        

However, the Cyber Security chief would remain “innocent” until the claims are proven. The German media outlet Der Spiegel stated that Mr. Arne Schönbohm had requested the ministry to investigate on Monday after receiving no “feedback” from the government after the allegations. 

He stated that he did not yet know “what the ministry has examined and the concrete allegations against me look like.”

Berlin is reportedly growing more anxious that Russian intelligence agents could target its critical infrastructure as it intensifies its backing for Ukraine.

The defense ministry stated last week that it would send Kyiv four anti-air defense systems. 

According to reports, a single IRIS-T unit can defend a whole city from air attacks.

author

PureVPN

date

November 24, 2022

time

1 year ago

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