Germany's Bundestag gives security agencies new powers to strike back against cyberattacks

In brief

• The Bundestag has passed a law allowing German security authorities to actively respond to cyberattacks.
• Agencies may enter foreign systems to extract or delete data in serious cases, and network operators must cooperate.
• The opposition says the powers go too far, while the same day brought a broader intelligence reform.

Passage of the law

The Bundestag has approved legislation that allows German security authorities to respond actively to cyberattacks rather than only defending against them. Reports date the vote to 12 November 2026 (Bundestag: Bundestag gibt Sicherheitsbehörden neue Cyberabwehr-Befugnisse – ZEIT ONLINE) (Bundestag - Sicherheitsbehörden können bei Cyberangriffen künftig zurückschlagen – Deutschlandfunk).

What the authorities may do

For serious attacks, the agencies may intervene directly in foreign computer systems in order to extract or erase data. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt framed the measure as a deterrent: those who target food supply or blood banks, he said, must expect Germany to hit back, with the aim of destroying the attackers' digital infrastructure.

Obligations for network operators

Telecom network operators and large digital companies will be required to cooperate with the authorities under the new rules.

Opposition criticism

The opposition argues the new powers reach too far and warns of their consequences, without the law's critics being named in the reports on this point. The debate coincides with a broader reform of Germany's intelligence services, which the Bundestag was also taking up on the same day (Geheimdienstreform: Bundestag entscheidet über Ausweitung der Befugnisse für Geheimdienste – ZEIT ONLINE) (Reform der Nachrichtendienste: "Jahrhundertwerk" oder "Monster"? – tagesschau.de) (Geheimdienste - BND soll künftig auch Sabotage im Ausland betreiben dürfen - Bundestag könnte Befugnisse heute deutlich ausweiten – Deutschlandfunk).

Context: intelligence reform

Separately, the chamber is considering a reform that would give the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) and the domestic intelligence agency more powers, including expanded digital surveillance and, for the first time, active measures such as sabotage abroad. An independent control council, staffed mainly by former judges, would review certain measures in advance (Bundestag - Abgeordnete entscheiden über Geheimdienstreform – Deutschlandfunk). Dobrindt has called the overhaul a "landmark" project, while critics have described it as a "monster". Left-wing lawmakers speak of a taboo being broken.

Read also

• Germany's Intelligence Agency Could Get Power to Enter Homes Covertly, Coalition Amendment Reportedly Shows