Even in everyday operations where sensitive information does not play a role, criminals can gain access to laptops and computers. © Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa/Archivbild
Kaufbeuren – under the agenda item announcements and inquiries, the city council members learned in the finance committee meeting this Tuesday evening that the Instagram account of the city of Kaufbeuren had recently become the victim of a cyber attack as part of a phishing campaign.
As Lord Mayor Stefan Bosse reported to the committee members, unknown perpetrators had asked an employee of the city's Department of Tourism and Marketing to update the terms and conditions via the Instagram message function. When the employee complied with the request, the perpetrators gained control of the account, blocked it and made it untraceable for viewers.
"There is a demand for money that we will not respond to," Bosse told the committee members, speaking in this context of a criminal process. He does not use the word blackmail in this context.
A representative of the city administration said that meta-support (Instagram, like Facebook, belongs to the parent company Mieter) is working to make the account visible again. In this context, he called on all users and administrators to exercise extreme caution, even with content and processes that are not sensitive at first glance.
This message will be updated as new information becomes available.