German Military Grounds Quantum Systems Drones After Malware Attack
The German armed forces grounded Quantum Systems reconnaissance drones after malware disguised as a routine QBase software update was planted on the company's update server. Three German agencies are investigating, and no attacker has been named.
The German armed forces (Bundeswehr) temporarily grounded reconnaissance drones made by German company Quantum Systems after attackers placed malware on the company's update server, disguised as a routine QBase update. QBase is the software used to plan missions for the Vector drone. The Financial Times and Der Spiegel reported the grounding on 12 November. It matters because Germany had planned to buy hundreds of these systems.
What is known about the attack
According to Der Spiegel, unknown attackers entered the Quantum Systems network and left malware on an internal update server. The file reached servers at the Bundeswehr and other customers, but not the drones themselves, and a check caught it. No report says the file was installed on a mission-planning computer, and it is not known what the malware was designed to do.
Quantum Systems confirmed the attack that evening and said it discovered the intrusion at the end of October. The company says its IT and security teams, working with the authorities, contained the threat and that operating its drones poses no risk to users.
Unclear scope
The accounts of the grounding differ. Sources of the Financial Times say the Bundeswehr acted as a precaution and that the decision kept the company out of a recent military exercise. Der Spiegel says the entire fleet was grounded for a time. Handelsblatt, citing the company, reports a flight ban in Germany, while drones outside Germany remain in regular use. Germany's defense ministry told the FT it does not discuss the readiness of military equipment.
Investigation
Military counterintelligence MAD, the domestic intelligence agency BfV and the federal IT security office BSI are investigating. No attacker has been named, and Quantum Systems refers only to hostile actors. The company has more than 200 staff in Ukraine and three joint ventures with Ukrainian firms. In July the BfV warned of a higher risk of Russian cyber attacks against Germany's defense sector.
