German Cabinet Approves Postwar-First Legislation Granting BND and BfV Offensive Cyber and Sabotage Powers

The German cabinet approved a reform of the intelligence services law on August 12, granting the BND and BfV expanded surveillance and, for the first time, offensive operational powers 12. Under defined conditions the BND could penetrate hostile IT systems, including those of chemical weapons laboratories or drone factories, to sabotage production, and disable servers used by state hacking groups or disinformation actors 12. The BND would also be authorized to store intercepted content for up to six months and traffic data for up to 12 months, while the BfV gains power to act against threats causing "serious unrest" or "severe damage" from foreign intelligence activity 2. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the measures respond to daily "espionage, sabotage, cyberattacks and covert actions by foreign powers," and the government stated oversight will consolidate under an expanded Independent Control Council, which absorbs the G10 Commission's authorization role 12. The bill goes to the Bundesrat before the Bundestag, with no final vote date set as of August 18 1.