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Germany Prepares to Authorize Offensive Cyber Operations Amid Russian Hybrid Threats
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Germany is preparing to expand the powers of its intelligence and cybersecurity agencies, including authorizing offensive cyber operations abroad, as reported by Politico on February 9.
According to the outlet officials are drafting two separate pieces of legislation. One would revise the mandate of the country’s foreign intelligence services to allow them to conduct cyber operations outside Germany. The second would grant security services broader authority to respond to hybrid threats, including coordinated digital and physical disruptions.
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The move comes as Germany faces a sustained wave of cyber and hybrid incidents. In recent months, the country has reported drone incursions over airports in Berlin and Munich, as well as a cyberattack targeting its air traffic control system. German institutions have also been hit by major cyber operations attributed to Russian intelligence services, including the 2015 hack of the Bundestag and the 2024 breach of the ruling Social Democratic Party.
The issue is expected to feature prominently at this week’s Munich Security Conference, where intelligence and cybersecurity leaders will discuss Europe’s response to hybrid aggression linked to Russia and the protection of critical infrastructure from cyberespionage.
According to Politico, in an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung on January 23, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt signaled a shift in approach, stating that Germany would “fight back, even abroad. We will disrupt attackers and destroy their infrastructure.”
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The concept of “hacking back” refers to government-authorized countermeasures in which intelligence agencies, military cyber units, or security services target the digital infrastructure of foreign actors in response to cyberattacks, the outlet noted. Over the past decade, states have increasingly engaged in such operations to disrupt adversaries’ capabilities.
Until now, Berlin and several other European capitals have refrained from conducting offensive cyber responses, concerned that retaliatory actions could escalate tensions, particularly with Moscow.
Concerns have been amplified by broader trends across Europe. According to an analysis by the Associated Press, since 2022 at least 145 acts of sabotage have occurred in Europe that align with the pattern of a hybrid war waged by Russia.
The debate over expanding cyber powers comes as Russian-linked attacks have already produced tangible risks for European infrastructure.
At the end of December 2025, Russia launched a coordinated series of cyberattacks against Poland’s energy grid, nearly causing a nationwide blackout, Polish officials said. The incident highlighted the potential for digital operations to disrupt essential civilian services.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski told RMF24 that the assault was the most serious cyberattack ever recorded against Poland’s energy system.
“This was the most severe attack on our energy infrastructure, aimed at cutting off electricity to citizens at the end of December,” he said.
Gawkowski added that the attacks coincided with adverse weather conditions, complicating efforts to stabilize the grid and increasing the risk of cascading failures. He described the episode as an act of sabotage.
Earlier, hackers aligned with Russia have targeted a small hydropower facility in Poland’s Pomeranian Voivodeship, near Gdańsk, marking the second cyberattack on the same site in recent months.
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