German BND Reform Bill Would Grant Foreign Intelligence Offensive Cyber and Sabotage Powers for First Time

Germany's coalition government is coordinating a BND Act overhaul that would authorize offensive hacking and sabotage for the first time, per netzpolitik.org citing government-source reporting from Tagesschau, WDR, NDR, and the FAZ. Under draft provisions, BND could penetrate networks and participate in active cyberattacks when voluntary cooperation is refused; officers could also covertly enter residences to install state trojans on target devices. The bill would additionally allow BND to store and analyze communications content for up to six months at internet exchange points including DE-CIX Frankfurt, with operations gated on National Security Council declaration of an "intelligence special situation" and Parliamentary Control Committee concurrence. No legislative timeline has been established; inter-ministerial coordination is underway, and the German Journalists' Association has protested the proposals as a threat to press freedom.