Ransomware (extortion): Production and industrial SMEs, Germany 2025
On 7 April 2025, the recycling company with around 50 employees discovered a cyber attack that paralysed its IT; the perpetrators demanded a ransom and accessed data of around 200 customers, including bank details.
- Incident · 04.2025 · Rhineland-Palatinate (Hermeskeil), Germany
- Evidence: one media report
- Ransomware (extortion)
- Data breach
As of
What happened
Orders could no longer be processed. Around three weeks later, the company, already strained by energy prices and the economic situation, filed for insolvency; operations continued for the time being.
- Affected
- Eu-Rec GmbH
- Industry
- Production and industrial SMEs
- Loss
- no reliable figure
- Business interruption
- unknown
- Ransom demanded / paid
- yes / unknown
- Data affected
- true
- Bankruptcy
- yes
- Entry point
- not stated in the sources
What would cyber insurance have paid?
That depends on the terms. Whether those affected were insured: unknown.
-
Loss of income after an attack
Business interruption, only after the waiting period
Mostly covered 7 of 9 business products cover it fully, as an add-on or with limits.
-
Costs of getting data, software and systems running again
Mostly covered 6 of 9 business products cover it fully, as an add-on or with limits.
-
Help and negotiation; only some insurers pay the ransom, see note
Mostly add-on 6 of 9 business products cover it fully, as an add-on or with limits.
-
Letters, call centre, credit monitoring
Mostly covered 6 of 9 business products cover it fully, as an add-on or with limits.
-
Third-party claims after a data breach
Liability for data protection and network security breaches
Mostly covered 7 of 9 business products cover it fully, as an add-on or with limits.
Overview based on public policy terms, as of 06.11.2026. Only your policy and its general terms and conditions (GTC) are binding. No confirmation of cover.
What we can learn
For a small business that is already struggling, an outage of a few weeks can mean the end.
Sources
- Nach Cyberangriff: Eu-Rec meldet Insolvenz an – 200 Kunden waren betroffen (opens in a new window) it-daily.net · 2025-04-28