Cyber attacks and hybrid warfare: Germany gives sweeping powers to its police and intelligence services
Germany's Bundestag has approved sweeping new powers for its intelligence services, including the ability to conduct counterattacks against foreign cyber threats.
Under the new rules, the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) will be authorized to respond to cyberattacks by foreign powers with counterattacks of their own. The range of possible measures is broad, from deleting and manipulating data to disabling entire systems and, if necessary, even destroying physical weapons such as drones that could be deployed against Germany.
The reform package, approved by lawmakers in the Bundestag on Friday, also permits intelligence agencies to enter homes and business premises covertly under certain conditions, primarily to prepare surveillance operations. However, they remain prohibited from using force against people. An independent oversight board will be established to monitor these expanded powers.
Historical concerns
Opposition lawmakers specializing in domestic policy have warned against granting powers that are too broad. The changes come amid ongoing debates about Germany's separation principle, which maintains institutional separation between police and intelligence services—a legacy from the Nazi era when the Gestapo operated outside judicial constraints.
Historian Sönke Neitzel of the University of Potsdam described the separation principle as "nonsense" in today's threat landscape, while Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt of the center-right Christian Social Union (CSU) wants to preserve it in its essential form despite supporting the reform.
Growing cyber threats
BKA President Holger Münch has emphasized that hybrid attacks pose new challenges to Germany's security organizations, blurring the line between criminal and state-sponsored actors. He cited statistics showing crime originating from abroad rose by 24% in the first half of 2026, with fewer than 5% of these cases solved.
The state's promise of security can become fragile. Confidence in the ability of its institutions to act effectively and remain steadfast is declining.
Active defense strategy
Interior Minister Dobrindt has made clear Germany intends to take an active approach to defending against cyberattacks. "Anyone who attacks us in this way must know that we are prepared to strike back," he stated, indicating that digital infrastructure, servers, and software of attackers will become targets.
The legislative reform, approved by the governing coalition of CDU/CSU and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), represents a significant step toward transforming Germany's domestic and foreign intelligence services into "real intelligence services" with enhanced capabilities in the face of evolving threats.
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