German politicians and celebrities caught in Christmas data leak

Over Christmas, personal information and alleged communications belonging to German politicians, journalists, and celebrities were leaked on Twitter, under the username @_0rbit. The information was published in the style of an “advent calendar event” each day in December. 

The data breach reportedly included politicians’ email addresses, mobile phone numbers, identity card photos, direct debit and credit card information, and personal and work communications.  

A 20-year-old student has admitted to carrying out the hack. 

The private information seems to have been acquired over a substantial period of time in 2018 in what German officials called a “sophisticated” operation, and added to publicly available information. Investigators said that the hacker “exploited several vulnerabilities”, although they have confirmed that several such security gaps have since been fixed. Officials also said there was no evidence to suggest that government systems had been compromised. 

The BSI information security agency said it was contacted by a member of the German parliament in early December about suspicious activity on private email and social media. In a statement, the agency said it was linked to the @_0rbit leaks only when the account’s existence became known in early January.  

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has subsequently confirmed that he will introduce new measures to improve cyber security and an existing security law with more protections for industry and citizens.