Why did Germany summon the Chinese ambassador in 2024?

In July 2024, Germany summoned the Chinese ambassador following a 2021 cyber-attack directed at the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy. The incident was attributed to Chinese state actors operating for the purpose of espionage.

What we know

• Germany summoned the Chinese ambassador in July 2024 regarding a cyber-attack against the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy. [2]
• The cyber-attack against Germany's national mapping agency, also known as the Bundesamt für Kartografie und Geodäsie (BKG), took place in 2021. [1, 2]
• The 2021 cyber-attack against the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy was attributed to Chinese state actors for the purpose of espionage. [2]

Where to go next

• the bigger pictureWhat is the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy?
• whereWhere is the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy located?
• a case in pointWhat facilities does Germany's national mapping agency operate?
• how it workedHow do state actors conduct cyber espionage against national agencies?
• what followedWhat diplomatic actions follow international cyber attacks?
• an unexpected connectionHow do national mapping agencies relate to global navigation satellite systems?While state mapping agencies handle national geographic data and face espionage risks, global navigation satellite systems like GPS provide the underlying location data that modern mapping infrastructure relies upon.

Sources

• [1]Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (Wikidata Q1005454) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Colorado Plateau · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Global Positioning System · CC BY-SA 4.0