Brenntag

Brenntag is a global distributor of chemicals and ingredients, headquartered in Germany. The company supplies a broad portfolio of specialty and industrial chemicals to customers across various sectors including food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, automotive, and manufacturing. It operates through a network of locations that enable it to source products from manufacturers and deliver them to end‑users, providing value‑added services such as blending, repackaging, and technical support. Brenntag positions itself as a link between chemical producers and downstream users, emphasizing safety, regulatory compliance, and supply chain reliability. Its business model focuses on offering a wide range of products while maintaining close relationships with both suppliers and customers.

In May 2021, Brenntag experienced a ransomware attack carried out by the DarkSide group that targeted its North American division. The incident resulted in the encryption of systems and the exfiltration of approximately 150 GB of data. The attackers initially demanded a ransom of about $7.5 million, which was later negotiated down to $4.4 million paid in Bitcoin to obtain a decryptor and to prevent the public release of the stolen data. Brenntag confirmed a security incident, disconnected affected systems, engaged external cybersecurity experts, and notified law enforcement, although it did not explicitly characterize the event as a ransomware attack in its public statements. The episode highlighted the growing threat of ransomware to industrial supply chains and prompted the company to review its cybersecurity posture.