"We have your data"

Cyberattack on Smart Home Specialist Loxone

(Bild: Loxone)

Loxone, a globally active smart-home specialist based in the Mühlviertel region, fell victim to a cyberattack over the weekend. The alleged perpetrators claim to have stolen more than 200 gigabytes of data and are now threatening to release it. Loxone emphasizes that its customers’ systems were not affected.

As the “Krone” learned, the attack was apparently discovered in the early hours of Sunday morning: Instead of the usual website featuring information and solutions for smart homes, visitors to loxone.com found a message from the alleged extortionists. It reads: “We have your data.”

A hacker group calling itself “Samurai” is believed to be behind the message. The alleged perpetrators claim to have copied and encrypted a total of 201.6 gigabytes of data from the company’s internal network. This is said to include customer data, support requests, personnel records, and information on more than 300,000 registered Miniservers.

To emphasize their demands, the extortionists are threatening to publish the data once a deadline has passed. They are instructing Loxone to contact them via an encrypted messaging app to negotiate a ransom payment. Whether data on this scale was actually stolen has not yet been confirmed.

Loxone’s statement on its own website.(Bild: Screenshot)

Statement from Loxone
In an initial statement on its corporate website, Loxone emphasizes that its customers’ smart home installations were not affected by the cyberattack. Based on current information, the cloud services are also continuing to function securely. 

A key reason for this is the deliberately chosen architecture of Loxone’s technology. The Miniservers—the control centers of the smart homes—operate locally and independently of the company’s IT infrastructure. They require neither an internet connection nor access to Loxone’s servers to function. Even if the company’s computer systems are attacked, the heating, lighting, and shading systems in the buildings can continue to function.

Florian Wöss (left) and Andreas Hetzendorfer make up the executive management team of Loxone, the internationally active smart-home specialist based in Kollerschlag.(Bild: Loxone)

“Consistent, Responsible, and Transparent”
Florian Wöss, President of Loxone Electronics GmbH, said in an initial statement: “Our commitment to quality and reliability does not end with our products. It is particularly evident in moments like these, when our entire team handles a challenging situation responsibly, consistently, and transparently.”

According to Loxone, the company responded immediately upon discovering the attack and isolated the affected IT systems. Internal specialists and external IT forensic experts are working to investigate the incident. The authorities have also been notified. “Our commitment to quality and reliability doesn’t end with our products,” explains Florian Wöss, President of Loxone Electronics GmbH. Individuals whose data has been verifiably compromised will be notified directly.

An IT expert also told the “Krone” that owners of Loxone smart homes are now benefiting from a deliberate decision the company made in the past. This is because remote access to the Miniserver—which, as the control center, serves as the “brain” of the smart-home systems from Kollerschlag—is routed through a proxy service.

Who is behind this cyberattack?
Little is known so far about the masterminds behind the cyberattack on Loxone. The alleged perpetrators are operating under the name “Samurai.” It is unclear whether a new hacker group or already known cybercriminals are behind this. In any case, the extortionists are putting Loxone under time pressure: According to their message, the allegedly stolen data will be published on Thursday, October 22, if no agreement is reached before then.

1,300 employees, 48 locations: A major player in the technology market
Loxone was founded in 2009 by Thomas Moser and Martin Öller in Kollerschlag and is now one of the world’s leading providers of home and building automation. The company’s technology controls, among other things, lighting, heating, shading, and security systems in residential homes, hotels, and corporate buildings. The globally active corporate group now employs more than 1,300 employees at 48 locations. More than 80 percent of its business comes from exports.