An attempted hacker attack on official service mobile phones has prompted a significant investigation in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. The attack targeted the central server that networks the specialized smartphones used by the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania State Police for daily operations. Comprehensive investigations and detailed analyses are currently taking place on the computer servers that control these important police service mobile phones. These servers are also specifically designed to protect the police smartphones from various kinds of malicious hacker attacks and unauthorized intrusions. This serious incident has temporarily disrupted the use of these advanced mobile devices by many officers who are currently on active patrol duty.
Due to this ongoing security incident, the so-called mPol (mobile police) mobile phones of the police will not be fully usable. Active patrol officers will unfortunately face these significant operational limitations for at least the next few days, disrupting their normal workflow. These specialized devices are typically used to make immediate online inquiries about various vehicle owners while on the road during traffic stops. They are also used for quickly checking identity documents or for carrying out further necessary research during patrols and other official investigations. The digital queries that have been possible since the introduction of these mPol devices will now be temporarily impacted by this attack.
The online queries that are normally conducted on patrols will therefore have to be carried out again in the original way.
As was the standard procedure before the introduction of the mPol devices in previous years, police officers will need to adapt. For example, they will now need to send a vehicle license plate to the police station by using a standard radio message. At the station, the requested information, such as the vehicle owner, will be determined with a secure company computer terminal. This vital information will then be returned to the officer on patrol by a return radio message from the police station. Regardless of this data system issue, the smartphones can still be used by all police officers to make regular phone calls.
The State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany, has already been officially informed of this.
A corresponding formal investigation into this attempted cyberattack has also now been initiated by this important government regulatory agency. The technical evaluation to determine the full scope of the attempted intrusion continues to develop with strong official support. The police department is working to ensure that the personal data of its citizens remains fully protected from any potential data exposure. These systems will only be restored once they are certified as secure and that the integrity of all the data is guaranteed.
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