German database provider Genios reports ransomware attack, system outage

GBI Genios, a Database-as-a-Service company used by various media organizations in Germany, has confirmed that it fell victim to a ransomware attack. Located in Munich, GBI Genios operates under the ownership of two major publishers: the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and the Handelsblatt Media Group. Its services, crucial for media companies, universities, and libraries, include providing searchable archives of newspapers, business intelligence, analytical reports, and electronic books.

This incident led to a massive service disruption, with expectations of the systems being offline for several days. Genios, through a LinkedIn post, informed its users of the attack and the consequent service outage, emphasizing the limited availability of their communication channels during this period.

While the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung clarified that its primary systems and those of its other subsidiaries remained unaffected, it acknowledged the temporary unavailability of certain archive applications hosted by Genios. The ransomware attack also impacted the availability of the WISO database, a resource used by many higher education institutions.

Among the impacted institutions the attack impact was confirmed by Kempten University, University of Giessen and the Heilbronn City Library.

It's unclear whether the attackers managed to exploit their access to Genios to target other institutions. The full impact and any data theft is also not disclosed.