The chief of the federal agency in charge of cybersecurity, Arne Schönbohm, is under consideration for termination by German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser due to his alleged contacts with Russian security service agents, according to German newspapers, which cited unnamed government sources.
The Federal Office for Information Security is led by Schönbohm (BSI). However, a recent inquiry discovered that he was also a member of a technological group that includes a German business that is a subsidiary of a Russian cybersecurity firm created by a former KGB employee among its members.
The Interior Ministry said that it “takes the matters reported over the weekend seriously and is investigating them comprehensively.”
A scheduled joint appearance of Faeser and Schönbohm on Thursday to present the BSI Situation Report 2022 has reportedly been called off.
The Interior Ministry was reported to have stated by the daily tabloid Bild that “it is being explored how a speedy change of president may be done.” Since there are restrictions on terminating public employees under the civil service rules, it is said that German authorities prefer to give Schönbohm a new position rather than dismiss him completely.
The Cyber Security Council of Germany, according to media reports, may have facilitated Schönbohm’s purported meetings with Russian agents. The organisation was organised with the assistance of Schönbohm, and among its members is a German corporation that is a subsidiary of a Russian company that was established by a former KGB employee.
The Interior Ministry reportedly requested Schönbohm to distance himself from the council, but his most recent visit to celebrate the group’s anniversary reportedly infuriated the ministry to a great extent.
As recently as 2015, when a cyberattack shut down the lower house of the Bundestag, or German parliament, Germany has accused Russia of carrying out cyberattacks.
(With inputs from agencies)
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