An organisation, certain areas of the organisation or individual persons can be exposed to the
threat of an assault. The technical possibilities for carrying out an assault 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 assault, 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 public authorities
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 assault or if you suspect you could be the
target of such an assault.
Examples:
• A bomb attack on the computer centre of a large federal agency took place in the 1980s
in Cologne. Due to the use of high-power explosives, the explosion not only destroyed
windows and walls, but also numerous IT systems in the computer centre.
• The attack on the World Trade Center in New York on 11 September 2001 not only
killed many people, but also destroyed a large amount of IT equipment. As a result,
several companies had serious problems resuming business.