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backslash AG operates as a technology provider that manages the online presence of Swiss municipal and cantonal administrations, offering hosting, maintenance and availability services for community websites and cantonal portals. Its core function is to ensure that local government information and services remain accessible to residents, businesses and other stakeholders through reliable web infrastructure. The organisation focuses exclusively on the public sector, tailoring its solutions to the specific needs of municipalities and cantons across Switzerland, and it positions itself as a key enabler of digital communication between authorities and the public. By maintaining these digital channels, backslash AG supports everyday civic interactions such as accessing official documents, paying fees and participating in local decision‑making processes.

The scale of its operations is evident from the incident reported on 24 November 2024, during which a distributed denial‑of‑service attack disrupted access to 318 community sites as well as the online portals of the cantons of Schwyz and Glarus. This figure illustrates the breadth of its client base, encompassing a substantial number of Swiss municipalities alongside two cantonal administrations. The attack occurred on a national voting Sunday, highlighting the organisation’s role in maintaining services that are particularly consequential during periods of heightened civic engagement. Despite the outage affecting client‑facing websites, the company’s internal administrative systems remained unaffected across all jurisdictions, indicating a separation between public‑facing services and internal operations.

Distinguishing attributes of backslash AG include its specialised focus on providing web infrastructure for Swiss public sector entities, a niche that requires adherence to stringent availability and security expectations. Its involvement in supporting a national voting event underscores the trust placed in its ability to keep critical information channels operational even under high‑traffic conditions. The absence of any confirmed data breach or compromise of voting systems during the cyberattack, as confirmed by authorities and the Federal Office for Cybersicherheit, speaks to the effectiveness of its security controls and incident response capabilities. While the motivation behind the attack remains unidentified, the event has reinforced the organisation’s reputation as a resilient service provider tasked with safeguarding the digital accessibility of Swiss municipal and cantonal services.