T 5.6 Attack

The technical possibilities for carrying out an attack are numerous: throwing bricks, creating an explosion using explosives, the use of firearms, or arson, for example. Whether or not an organisation is subject to the risk of an attack, and if so, to what extent, depends highly on the type of tasks performed and the political/social climate as well as on the location of the building and its surroundings. Company and government agencies operating in politically controversial areas are more exposed to this threat than other organisations. Organisations located near areas commonly used for demonstrations are at greater risk than more remote locations. In Germany, the Federal Office of Criminal Investigation or one of the state offices of criminal investigation can be contacted to obtain an assessment of the risk of a politically motivated attack or if you suspect you could be the target of such an attack.

When considering this assessment, one particular feature of archives, i.e. that a large number of documents and data is stored in a relatively small space, must be taken into account. Such documents could include patient data, contracts, legal documents, or wills, for example. Their destruction can have far-reaching consequences, not only for the location where the documents are stored, but also for other users. For example, it could be necessary in such a case to re-acquire and re-record the information destroyed, which could incur great time and expense. Under some circumstances, certain information may even be irretrievably lost. For this reason, attacks to paper document archives and electronic archives can cause significant damage.

Examples:

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