⁍ The Robert Koch Institute for infectious disease control was hit by a cyber attack days before its headquarters was the target of an arson attempt, Der Spiegel reported.

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⁍ The website was knocked out for two hours on Oct. 22 by a distributed denial of service attack, but no sensitive data was lost.

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⁍ The red-brick headquarters in Berlin of the institute, which coordinates public health measures to stem the coronavirus pandemic, was the target of a firebomb attack at the weekend.

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⁍ Chancellor Angela Merkel and regional leaders are due to decide whether to reimpose a national lockdown in response to a steep acceleration in infections.

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– Just days before its Berlin headquarters were firebombed, Germany’s Robert Koch Institute for infectious disease control was hit by a cyber attack, Reuters reports. According to Der Spiegel, the website of the institute, which coordinates public health measures to stem the coronavirus pandemic, was down for two hours on Oct. 22 as a distributed denial-of-service attack was carried out. No sensitive data was lost, the news weekly says. The firebomb attack on the institute’s red-brick headquarters over the weekend caused superficial damage, but no one was hurt. The institute declined to comment on the Spiegel report. Meanwhile, Germany is considering imposing a national lockdown in response to the pandemic. Chancellor Angela Merkel and regional leaders are due to decide whether to reimpose a national lockdown in response to a steep acceleration in infections. Although most Germans support efforts to curb the pandemic, a sceptical minority including anti-vaccination activists, conspiracy theorists, and the political far right has staged protests. The Robert Koch Institute declined to comment on the Spiegel report.