Cyber Incident Victim: Jakob Becker GmbH & Co. KG
Date:
May 2022
Location:
Germany
Summary
A cyberattack targeted a German waste management company, severely disrupting its operations and communication systems including telephone and email services. The incident forced the organization to halt normal business activities, with management expressing hopes for restored functionality while authorities investigated the breach. Police involvement confirmed the criminal nature of the attack, which caused prolonged operational paralysis affecting customer interactions and internal processes.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On May 24, 2022, Jakob Becker GmbH & Co. KG, a waste management company based in Mehlingen, Germany, experienced a disruptive cyberattack targeting its IT infrastructure. The attack rendered critical communication systems inoperable, including email and telephone services, severely hampering internal operations and customer interactions. Employees were forced to rely on manual workarounds such as handwritten notes to maintain basic service continuity during the outage. The company's managing director, Thomas Pfaff, publicly acknowledged the incident and indicated recovery efforts were underway. The attack caused sustained operational paralysis, with systems remaining offline for multiple days.
The company prioritized restoring customer-facing communications, with Pfaff stating the goal was to regain normal service accessibility for clients as soon as possible. The disruption affected approximately 2,000 customers and business partners, necessitating alternative coordination methods during the outage. Local law enforcement initiated an investigation into the attack, though no attribution or specific attack vector was disclosed publicly. Operational impacts included delayed administrative processes and reliance on non-digital workflows until systems could be fully restored. The incident underscored the vulnerability of critical infrastructure providers to cyber disruptions affecting core business functions.