CARELESS German defence bosses used the immediately-breakable password ‘1234’ to protect military files.
The embarrassing blunder saw Berlin’s defence ministry publish the simple password online – which ironically gave users access to information regarding last week’s major intelligence leak.
Jam PressThe German Defence Ministry document that included a link protected by the password ‘1234’[/caption]
GettyThe link contained a statement from German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius over Friday’s intelligence leak[/caption]
Berlin is facing an outcry over the major intelligence brief which saw Russia gain classified intelligence on Nato allies’ operations
The simple password was protecting a link that contained an audio statement made by Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.
Germany’s military top brass are now being mocked as the statement itself addressed the serious security breach that saw Russia get hold of an entire conversation between senior German Air Force officers on Friday.
The new document read: “A press statement from the Federal Minister of Defence, Boris Pistorius, regarding the intercepted Air Force communication can be accessed via the link attached below.”
Directly under the web link to the audio file, it said: “Password: 1234”.
Although the file didn’t contain classified information, German media questioned why the defence ministry was using such weak passwords in the first place.
In the badly-protected audio recording, Pistorius sought to quell concerns regarding the leak that potentially gave Russia top-secret intelligence on allies’ operations in Ukraine.
He added that defence chiefs were still unsure how Russian spies were able to record the officers’ confidential conversation.
Pistorius has claimed the leak was an orchestrated attempt by Vladimir Putin to “destabilise” Germany.
The leak
On March 1, Russian state TV broadcast an intercepted 38-minute call made by German Air Force chief Ingo Gerhartz.
Gerhartz told air force officers and a general, who had dialled in from his hotel room, how Britain and France were delivering Storm Shadows missiles to Ukraine.
The Luftwaffe boss also sensationally claimed British troops were “on the ground”.
He stated that British personnel were deployed in Ukraine and shared details on how Britain’s Storm Shadow and France’s Scalp missiles were deployed in the country.
The officers also discussed how German-made Taurus cruise missiles could be used to destroy Putin’s prized Kerch Bridge in annexed Crimea.
The leak spurred on explosive Russian claims that Nato is “preparing for war“.
Kremlin mouthpiece Dmitry Medvedev slammed the call as evidence that Germany and its allies are gearing up for WW3.
The embarrassing security breach saw Berlin branded Nato’s weakest link and as “neither secure or reliable”.
Former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told The Times in a damning statement: “We know Germany is pretty penetrated by Russian intelligence so it just demonstrates they are neither secure nor reliable.”
Prof Anthony Glees, a security expert from the University of Buckingham, told The Sun that “heads should roll” for Germany’s “appalling breach of Nato security”.
And he said Berlin needs to “stop being afraid of Putin” and give Kyiv the vital weapons it needs to keep fighting.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz dubbed the leak “very serious” and an investigation is now under way – but the country’s reputation has already taken a big hit.
Germany has called Russian accusations of Nato’s war preparations as “absurd”.
But analysts say that Moscow is seeking to ensure Scholz does not send Ukraine its lethal Taurus cruise missiles.
Retired Major General Rupert Jones also told The Sun that the “concerning” leak “plays right into President Putin’s hands”.
He said: “It all feeds into President Putin and his regime are very, very smart at using the information domain, and this gives [him] ammunition.”
“It is not good for the NATO Alliance. It’s not good for Germany as a nation… it doesn’t look good when what appears to be a very amateurish mistake gets made.”
Criticism of Germany
From weak sanctions to a lack of aid and weapons deliveries, Germany’s European counterparts have criticised it for consistently dragging its heels for two years.
The German government has expressed concerns that too much help could be seen as direct involvement on their part in the conflict.
Authorities have also been warning that Germany, one of the largest manufacturers of military hardware going to Ukraine, is increasingly a major target of Russian spying operations.
The authorities arrested a German Foreign Intelligence Service (BND) employee they suspected of spying for Russia in late 2022.
Last year, authorities arrested an officer of the military procurement agency on suspicion of passing secret information to Russian intelligence.
Air Force chief Ingo Gerhartz was sensationally recorded discussing how British troops are ‘on the ground’ in Ukraine
German chancellor Olaf Scholz called the security breach a ‘very serious matter’
Sholz has been dragging his heels over delivering vital kit to Ukraine including its Leopard tanks