Who will ensure a decent future for a bunker with a criminal past?
Germany has put up for sale a Cold War bunker that was used by the cybercrime group CyberBunker to serve the dark web. The facility, located in Traben-Trarbach, was once built by the German military, and later became a place to host servers that supported the illegal activities of hackers on the Internet.
The authorities of the Federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate are looking for buyers. The CyberBunker bunker, which covers an area of 5,500 square meters, attracted the attention of the general public after a documentary was made about it for Netflix.
The group has committed about 250,000 crimes: drug trafficking, money laundering, cyber attacks and other illegal operations. CyberBunker was a popular Internet service provider in the hacker community, providing hosting services to such resources as The Pirate Bay and WikiLeaks. Interestingly, the bunker in Traben-Trarbach was not the only facility used by this company.
In September 2019, about 650 German law enforcement officers conducted a large-scale operation to seize servers and documents in the bunker. CyberBunker operators were brought to trial and received sentences ranging from suspended sentences to more than five years in prison.
The 13-hectare CyberBunker complex includes a five-level bunker and two aboveground buildings that require extensive repairs. According to the posts on golem.de The Koblenz Tax Office is keen to sell the property as soon as possible, and the Attorney General's Office has refused to hand it over to the Federal Real Estate Agency.
At the moment, the authorities have no preferences regarding the future owners of the building. The sale price has not yet been specified, as the object is considered a "special property". However, several potential buyers have already expressed their interest. The authorities hope that the new owner will contribute to the regional economy and create new jobs.
Previously, there were suggestions for using the bunker for various purposes. Some suggested storing cheese and wine in it, while others suggested turning it into a hotel. Before the bunker was seized by cybercriminals in 2012, it served as the headquarters of the Bundeswehr's weather service. At the end of 2013, the leader of the CyberBunker group purchased this object for 450,000 euros (approximately 488,000 US dollars at the current exchange rate).
Germany has put up for sale a Cold War bunker that was used by the cybercrime group CyberBunker to serve the dark web. The facility, located in Traben-Trarbach, was once built by the German military, and later became a place to host servers that supported the illegal activities of hackers on the Internet.
The authorities of the Federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate are looking for buyers. The CyberBunker bunker, which covers an area of 5,500 square meters, attracted the attention of the general public after a documentary was made about it for Netflix.
The group has committed about 250,000 crimes: drug trafficking, money laundering, cyber attacks and other illegal operations. CyberBunker was a popular Internet service provider in the hacker community, providing hosting services to such resources as The Pirate Bay and WikiLeaks. Interestingly, the bunker in Traben-Trarbach was not the only facility used by this company.
In September 2019, about 650 German law enforcement officers conducted a large-scale operation to seize servers and documents in the bunker. CyberBunker operators were brought to trial and received sentences ranging from suspended sentences to more than five years in prison.
The 13-hectare CyberBunker complex includes a five-level bunker and two aboveground buildings that require extensive repairs. According to the posts on golem.de The Koblenz Tax Office is keen to sell the property as soon as possible, and the Attorney General's Office has refused to hand it over to the Federal Real Estate Agency.
At the moment, the authorities have no preferences regarding the future owners of the building. The sale price has not yet been specified, as the object is considered a "special property". However, several potential buyers have already expressed their interest. The authorities hope that the new owner will contribute to the regional economy and create new jobs.
Previously, there were suggestions for using the bunker for various purposes. Some suggested storing cheese and wine in it, while others suggested turning it into a hotel. Before the bunker was seized by cybercriminals in 2012, it served as the headquarters of the Bundeswehr's weather service. At the end of 2013, the leader of the CyberBunker group purchased this object for 450,000 euros (approximately 488,000 US dollars at the current exchange rate).
