Far-right AfD party hit by cyberattack leaking 421,000 emails

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) announced on Tuesday that it suffered a cyberattack resulting in the leak of hundreds of thousands of private member emails. The anti-immigration and pro-Russia party, which has led opinion polls since the beginning of the year, confirmed the breach to Agence France-Presse.

Cyberattack details and scope

According to the party, the company providing its email service was targeted in September 2026. During this attack, some account emails were illegally copied, though most had not been used for years. The AfD stated that the intrusion was detected quickly, neutralized, and the affected individuals were notified.

Earlier reports by the newspaper Bild indicated that more than 421,000 messages were exposed. One website published what it described as summaries of certain leaked communications without revealing their original content. The AfD noted that an investigation into these publications is currently underway.

Impact on leadership and parliament

While the party asserted that central-level officials were not affected by the leaks, Bild reported that the breach included messages sent by party co-leader Alice Weidel. Additionally, an identity card belonging to one of the party’s deputies in the Bundestag, the lower house of the federal parliament, was also compromised.

Electoral context and recent gains

This security incident occurs against a backdrop of significant electoral momentum for the AfD. The party, polling at approximately 30% nationally, achieved unprecedented results in local elections held in September. It won in two of the three regions where voting took place.

In the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD secured a overwhelming parliamentary majority. The party now aims to form the first regional government led by the far right in Germany since World War II.