Bundestag Passes Postwar-Era Spy Overhaul, Giving BND Active Hacking and Sabotage Powers
The legislation was explicitly justified by Berlin's attribution of APT28 attacks on Germany's air traffic control authority and election-period disinformation campaigns, so the BND's first operational use of these powers will almost certainly target Russian state hacking infrastructure.
If the BND begins offensive cyber operations against APT28 nodes, Moscow faces a new actor with legal authority and domestic political cover — and European allies who have long carried disproportionate offensive burden gain a partner with one of the continent's largest signals collection footprints.
Germany's BND moves from a passive collection service to one that can act — shutting down servers, disrupting supply chains, and degrading adversary infrastructure — placing it closer to the operational posture of France's DGSE and the UK's GCHQ.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt framed the bill as putting German agencies 'on equal footing with our European partners,' which is a direct acknowledgment that the BND has been a net consumer of allied cyber operations rather than a contributor.
The BfV gains narrower domestic powers — blocking and rerouting data traffic — but remains barred from using force against persons, preserving a legal firewall that will constrain any joint operation with law enforcement against hybrid actors operating inside Germany.
Does the BND's new offensive authority extend to operations in support of allied partners — meaning can Berlin now contribute active cyber effects to NATO or EU collective responses — or is the mandate limited to threats directly targeting German infrastructure and interests?
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