Cyberattack hits German firm Quantum Systems, which supplies drones to Ukraine; army halts use

Unknown attackers have carried out a cyberattack on Quantum Systems, the German defence technology company that supplies drones to Ukraine's military. The company officially disclosed the attack on November 12.

The German army has reportedly paused use of the company's drones for now as a precaution. The incident has once again raised questions about the cyber security of defence technology companies in Europe.

Quantum Systems, headquartered in Gilching near Munich, detected a breach of its cyber security at the end of October. The company's internal investigation found that the attack was carried out by an unknown, hostile party.

According to the information available, the attackers broke into the update server of the company's QBase software, which is used to control drones and plan missions. Through that server they sent a file containing malware, disguised as a routine software update. This raised the risk of the threat reaching customers' networks. However, there is no information that the file was actually installed on any drone.

After news of the attack emerged, Germany's armed forces stopped using Quantum Systems drones as a precaution. This is understood to have kept the company from taking part in a scheduled military exercise as well. Germany's military intelligence agency, along with the country's internal security and cyber security bodies, is reportedly investigating.

Who exactly the attackers were and what they wanted is still unclear. No official finding has yet emerged that Russia was behind the attack.

Quantum Systems has said its IT and security teams, working with government agencies, have contained the threat. According to the company, the incident poses no danger to customers or operators who use its drones. On November 13, a company spokesperson said its drone fleet around the world was again operating normally.

While the German army paused use of the drones as a precaution, it has not been made clear whether other customers' drone services were affected. The company is also involved in drone production in Ukraine and in a joint project there. Attention is therefore on what effect the attack will have on future defence supplies to Ukraine.