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Rheinmetall said its military business was not affected by the ransomware attack detected on April 14, 2023. The company attributed that separation to “strictly separated IT infrastructure”; contemporary reports said the affected operation served industrial customers, especially automotive. The attribution to Black Basta came later, in May 2023.
What Rheinmetall said the attack affected
On April 14, 2023, Rheinmetall reported a cyberattack affecting its civilian business serving industrial customers, particularly the automotive sector. The company said military operations continued. The Record reported the initial statement, and tagesschau reported that spokesperson Oliver Hoffmann said the military business was not affected and operations there continued.
Rheinmetall later gave April 14 as the date it detected the incident. In May, the company confirmed Black Basta was responsible, as reported by The Record and SecurityWeek.
| Business area | What it does | Reported impact | Basis for the claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civilian industrial business | Serves industrial customers, particularly automotive | Reported affected | Rheinmetall’s statement, reported by contemporary news outlets |
| Military/defense business | Produces military products, including vehicles, weapons and ammunition, according to The Record | Rheinmetall said it was not affected and continued operating | Company statement reported by news outlets; not an independent forensic finding |
How strong is the claim that military operations were unaffected?
SecurityWeek reported Rheinmetall’s explanation that the military business used “strictly separated IT infrastructure.” That is the company’s account of why the defense operation was not affected. The contemporary reporting cited here does not independently verify the network separation or describe an external forensic audit of the military systems.
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So the precise conclusion is that Rheinmetall reported its military business was unaffected—not that independent investigators established there was no impact anywhere in the defense network. The available reporting also does not establish that no data was taken from the affected civilian business.
What was reported about Black Basta and the data
SecurityWeek reported that Black Basta listed Rheinmetall on its leak site and displayed screenshots of material the group said it had obtained. The outlet described images that appeared to show purchase orders, passport copies, technical schemes, confidentiality letters, non-disclosure agreements and other corporate documents.
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Those screenshots and the group’s listing are evidence of what Black Basta claimed or displayed, not a complete independently verified account of what data was accessed, how much was taken, how sensitive it was, or whether all of it was ultimately published. Rheinmetall’s confirmation of Black Basta’s responsibility should not be confused with independent confirmation of every claim on the group’s site.
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Tagesschau reported on April 14, 2023, that the Cologne prosecutor’s office had opened an investigation. SecurityWeek later reported that Rheinmetall said it had informed authorities and filed a criminal complaint with the Cologne public prosecutor’s office. These reports establish that an investigation and complaint were reported; they do not provide a final investigative finding.
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A separate Rheinmetall malware incident in 2019
Rheinmetall’s September 2019 announcement concerned a different malware event, not the 2023 Black Basta ransomware attack. The company said malware affected automotive plants in Brazil, Mexico and the United States beginning late on September 24, significantly disrupting normal production at those locations. It said other group IT systems were not affected at that time.
In that 2019 announcement, Rheinmetall estimated an adverse impact on operating results of EUR 3 million to EUR 4 million per week starting in week two. That was the company’s then-current estimate for the 2019 event only; it is not an estimate of the 2023 attack’s cost. Rheinmetall’s September 26, 2019 announcement provides the details.
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