Schmersal Group, established in 1945 and headquartered in Wuppertal, Germany, is a global leader in safety technology for industrial automation. The company offers an extensive range of products, including safety switches, safety sensors, safety controllers, and safety relay modules, designed to protect both personnel and machinery. Schmersal serves various industries such as automotive, packaging, elevators, and machine tool manufacturing, providing customized safety solutions that comply with international safety standards. With a presence in over 60 countries, Schmersal combines innovation and technical expertise to enhance workplace safety and operational efficiency.
The call came at 4.45 pm on 20 May – the Schmersal Group was officially informed that cyber criminals were planning to launch a targeted attack on the company’s network. The call was verified (it could have been a fake) and it was then down to the IT managers to think fast and take action. Their decision was ultimately to shut down the entire network – a hugely significant action. The connection to the internet was terminated within ten minutes, and within 90 minutes, the entire IT network worldwide was offline. Everything had been disconnected, from the telephone system to the entire ERP system infrastructure, as well as the entire production process and fully automated storage, at all locations.