The data was uploaded online and later promoted via Twitter, starting a few days before the Christmas holiday. The source of the data appears to be the victims' smartphones. Details about how the data was stolen and exfiltrated from infected phones remain unclear, at the time of writing.
Group of hackers has published the personal details of hundreds of German politicians, but also German artists and local YouTube celebrities.
The breach, discovered by journalists on Thursday.
According to sources, which first reported the hack, the leaked data contains names, home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, photo IDs, personal photos, and personal chat histories.
The leak affects politician's part of all of Germany's left and centrist political parties, such as the CDU, CSU, SPD, Greens, Left Party, and the FDP. Data from Germany's populist right-wing party, the AfD (Alternative for Germany), was not included.
On Friday Twitter suspended an account that posted links to sensitive personal data and documents stolen by hackers from hundreds of German public figures and politicians from every political party but the far-right Alternative for Germany.
The exposed material included addresses, cell phone numbers and chat records, along with banking, credit card and other financial information.
Cybersecurity analysts compared the hack in scale and affected population to that of prominent US Democrats including Hillary Clinton presidential campaign workers and other Americans targeted by state-backed Russian hackers in 2015-2016.
"This hack clearly isn't about extortion or financially-motivated. This is about attempting to destabilize Germany society," British security expert Graham Cluley blogged.
