This attack shows exactly why public services need proper investment, not austerity: when housing benefit applications and other essential systems go down, it’s ordinary people who suffer. I agree Berlin must not bow to extortion, but refusing to pay is only one part of the answer — the city must urgently be transparent about what was taken, provide free identity and credit protection to affected residents, and speed up repairs so services aren’t disrupted. We also need long-term solutions: independent security audits, stronger data-minimization rules, open standards and public-sector cyber teams instead of outsourcing core infrastructure to cheapest bidders. Finally, let’s be clear-eyed about attributing attacks and hold perpetrators accountable through international cooperation — without turning this into a scapegoating exercise that undermines civil liberties or immigrant communities.
