Qilin Hacking Group Claims Responsibility for Breach at SMC Corporation’s European Branch 

• The Qilin ransomware gang announced allegedly breaching SMC Corporation Europe.
• The security incident may have impacted the company’s European corporate and customer data.
• Provided samples seem to include internal documents in Excel and more.

The Qilin hacking group has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack targeting the European branch of SMC Corporation, a global leader in pneumatic technology. According to the group's statement, they exfiltrated approximately 1.1TB of data, comprising 552,000 files.  

While the authenticity of these claims has not yet been independently verified, Qilin asserts that the stolen files include sensitive corporate and customer data. 

This development places SMC Corporation among the latest victims of a rising trend in targeted attacks against industrial technology and manufacturing sectors.  

If proven true, the breach may expose a plethora of sensitive information, ranging from proprietary designs to customer records. This raises significant concerns regarding intellectual property theft and regulatory compliance, particularly under the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).  

SMC Corporation has not yet released an official statement confirming or disputing the breach. 

The Russian-speaking Qilin hacking group, an emerging threat actor reportedly associated with financially motivated cybercrime, has gained notoriety for targeting high-profile businesses across various industries–its latest claim being Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

SMC EU, the European division of the Japanese company SMC founded in 1959, includes several countries, such as the U.K., Germany, Russia, and Ukraine.

SMC Corporation of America in Indiana announced being the target of a cyberattack on December 8, 2025, when a foreign threat actor breached the network, attempting to disrupt IT infrastructure and managing to access current and former employees’ personal information.