There is no evidence of a global cyber attack on November 17. No bank and no security agency, in Germany or anywhere else, has warned of such an attack. The only thing on the calendar for November 17 is a long-announced appointment: in the United States, the disaster management agency FEMA and the media regulator FCC are testing their nationwide emergency alert system over radio and television. That test has nothing to do with your bank account or your internet connection in Germany.

Even so, a closer look is worthwhile, especially if you invest in crypto. The rumor promises emptied accounts and an internet that goes dark for three months, and it arrives in a week when real attacks are making headlines: the theft at Binance, the attack…