German Army humiliated as ‘1,000s of classified video meetings’ leaked online

The German army has been humiliated after thousands of classified video meetings were leaked online, giving people around the world access to them.

After it was discovered, the security gap was closed on Friday evening. According to Focus Online, the security gap was massive and research conducted by Zeit found that some of the meetings were classified as “Confidential”.

Research by Zeit showed there were several main weak points in the Bundeswehr. One of these was that personal online meeting rooms were allegedly very easy to find.

Furthermore, they also discovered that links to these meetings could be easily guessed because they weren’t in random numerical order. What’s more, the host, times, and importantly the title of the meetings could also reportedly be seen by outsiders.

The research also shows that some online meeting rooms lacked password protection and Zeit said they were able to access a few of them with a single click.

Alongside this, URLs for the meeting rooms were structured using the sample principle making these meetings less difficult to find. The leak comes just over a month after it was revealed that members of the Luftwaffe used a standard unencrypted video conference platform to discuss operations.

During the 38-minute call, Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz said: “If we’re asked about delivery methods. I know how the British do this. They always transport them in Ridgeback armoured vehicles. They have several people on the ground.”

According to the Times, the content spoken about came to light from a Russian transcript of the call whose authenticity was later confirmed by the German defence ministry.

The move was slammed by the former head of German intelligence, August Hanning, who warned that leaks from the German military could be just the beginning of an extensive security breach.

Speaking to Bild, Mr Hanning warned that the leak “could have been just the tip of the iceberg”.

In response to the leak last month, former chairman of the Commons Defence Committee Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood expressed concern over the leaks.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4 he questioned why protocols weren’t followed and emphasised the need for increased support of Ukraine as they try to push back against Russia.

Mr Ellwood said: “This leak of military planning is worrying on a number of levels. Why weren’t basic communications security protocols followed? It also revealed tension between senior German military and the Chancellor.

“The tide seems to be turning in Ukraine unless they receive greater support. The German public still see it as a war in Ukraine, not part of a wider confrontation Putin is seeking to have with the West.”

Express.co.uk has sent the German Defence Ministry a request for comment.