Less than two months after the first scandal shook the German army following the leak of information about a secret security meeting, a second scandal has struck the armed forces. A security breach has allowed access to information regarding at least 6,000 meetings of the German army on the "Webex" platform, which is designated for video conferences. This breach provided access to the name of the person who sends out invitations for important army meetings via "Webex," along with other information such as the time and date, according to the German website "Zeit Online" reported yesterday.
No Password Either
Moreover, it was possible to find more than 6,000 online meetings, some of which are classified as secret and discuss topics such as the long-range "Taurus" missiles requested by Ukraine or "digital battlefield" issues. Additionally, it was easy to identify virtual meeting rooms reserved for the 248,000 members of the German army, thanks to the weak electronic design that lacked even basic password protection. Among other things, the digital meeting room of the German Air Force Commander Ingo Gerhartz was found.
Notably, Gerhartz's name was mentioned in March as well when a secret conversation among high-ranking German army officers was leaked; he was among the military personnel allegedly not using the required encrypted line on "Webex."
Embarrassing Situation
The interception of that conversation by Russian intelligence led to a scandal at that time in Germany, putting the country in an embarrassing position before its allies. The more concerning aspect of this situation is that the German army did not learn about the security breach until after journalists posed questions, according to "Zeit Online." A spokesperson for the German army later confirmed to AFP that there was a vulnerability in the army's "Webex" sites, but once it was detected, efforts were made to correct it within 24 hours.
