17 Jun 2025
Fasana, a historic paper napkin manufacturer founded in 1919, has filed for insolvency after a severe ransomware attack brought its german operations to a standstill.
The cyberattack struck on May 19th, when all of Fasana’s printers began churning out ransom notes. Shortly after, the company's entire IT infrastructure, including PCs, laptops and production systems were paralyzed.
The attack resulted in an immediate loss of over €250,000 in unfulfilled orders on May 20th alone, according to a report from the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger.
Complete Operational Shutdown
With all systems locked, Fasana was unable to generate delivery notes or manage production, forcing a complete halt in operations. Employees did not receive their May salaries on time, and the company suffered an estimated €2 million in revenue losses over a two-week period.
The severity of the disruption pushed Fasana to file for insolvency. Dr. Dirk Wegener, the appointed insolvency administrator, noted:
“We couldn’t even print a delivery note. Operations were completely paralyzed.”
The company, employing 240 workers at its Stotzheim facility, had recently been acquired by Powerparc in March. It is now urgently seeking a new investor or buyer to prevent full closure.
A Rapid Ransomware Attack
Public broadcaster WDR reported that the incident was caused by a ransomware strain associated with a known cybercriminal group. The malware spread quickly across Fasana’s network, encrypting files and rendering systems unusable.
While the attackers have expressed financial motives, no well-known ransomware gang has claimed responsibility for the breach. Investigations are ongoing, and the initial method of access remains unclear.
Partial Recovery and Ongoing Challenges
Despite the chaos, Fasana has managed to resume limited operations, with initial deliveries and invoicing restarting last week. However, the company now faces an uphill battle: it has eight weeks to find a new buyer, as reported by tech site Golem.
Economic conditions may complicate the search, with rising raw material prices and the summer holiday season creating a difficult environment for turnaround efforts.
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