German drone maker Quantum Systems confirms a cyberattack detected in late October

Quantum Systems, a German drone manufacturer based near Munich, has confirmed that it suffered a cyberattack in late October, DW reports with information from the dpa and AFP agencies. According to the company, an internal investigation detected an active cyber offensive attributed to "hostile actors", without publicly identifying the perpetrators.

In a statement on Friday, November 13, the company says the threat was contained by its IT and security teams in cooperation with the authorities, and that the incident poses no risk to end users or to operators of its drones. It adds that the investigation remains open with state authorities and external and internal experts.

Quantum Systems drones are used by, among others, the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The company argues that its support for Ukraine makes it a target for this kind of operation.

According to the Financial Times, cited by DW, the German Armed Forces reportedly withdrew drones from the manufacturer as a precaution. The German Ministry of Defence declined to comment on that report.

Developing story: the cyberattack has been read through DW (dpa/AFP); the company's own statement still needs to be opened, and it remains to be confirmed which systems were affected and whether data was stolen.