Genios, a prominent database company utilized by various media outlets and academic institutions in Germany, has confirmed a ransomware attack on its servers. The Munich-based company, a subsidiary of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Handelsblatt Media Group, announced the incident via LinkedIn, citing a prolonged outage due to the cyberattack.
As a provider of essential databases including newspaper archives and business information, Genios’ services are widely utilized by universities, libraries, and media organizations across Germany. The attack has resulted in significant disruptions to access, impacting not only media archives but also educational resources like the WISO database used by higher education institutions.
Several affected entities, including Kempten University, University of Giessen, and Heilbronn City Library, have acknowledged the outage caused by the Genios incident. Despite the disruption, there is currently no evidence to suggest that the attackers have exploited their access to Genios to target its customers directly, providing some reassurance amidst the ongoing cyber crisis.
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