Medium-sized company Pilz on hacker attack: “It welds together incredibly”

Stuttgart The Swabian automation and security specialist Pilz fell victim to a serious hacker attack at the end of 2019, which led to years of investigation. In an interview with the Handelsblatt, managing partner Susanne Kunschert describes for the first time how the family business, which is known for its red emergency stop button, experienced the attack.

“We immediately called the police. We didn’t want to give in to crime,” says Kunschert. The ransom would only have been paid “if the danger had become so great that jobs were at risk,” explains the entrepreneur.

You shouldn’t be afraid, you have to analyze quickly, you need good people and, above all, understanding customers. “When you’re attacked from outside and you survive it, it creates an awful bond,” says Kunschert. That makes her happy and still overwhelms her today. Crises like these or other failures have always advanced the company.