German’s cyber defence agency defends its data breach handling

Security personnel sits behind the bullet-proof window at the headquarters of Germany's BSI national cyber defence body in Bonn, Germany. [Photo: Reuters]

Germany’s BSI cyber defence agency on Saturday defended its role in responding to a far-reaching data breach, saying it could not have connected individual cases it was aware of last year until the entire data release became public.

The government said on Friday that personal data and documents from hundreds of German politicians and public figures including Chancellor Angela Merkel had been published online, in what appeared to be one of Germany’s biggest data breaches.