Can ransomware shut down a 20-person agency overnight? A clear look at the CONCEPTNET GmbH incident (Jan 2026).
Cyberattacks do not only target big corporations. Smaller firms can be attractive because they often run lean IT teams, rely on always-on tools, and cannot afford long downtime.
On January 15, 2026, CONCEPTNET GmbH in Regensburg reported a ransomware incident. Based on the notice published on the company website, attackers encrypted parts of the IT environment. The message indicates that internal systems were affected and that core services may also be impacted, including the website and email infrastructure.
CONCEPTNET GmbH is described as an owner-managed advertising agency with roughly 20 employees. The company’s work appears to focus on media design, web development, and programming of digital applications—services that depend heavily on file access, project repositories, mail, and web hosting. When ransomware encrypts systems in that kind of environment, work can halt quickly because staff lose access to shared assets, client materials, code, and production tools.
At the time of the public status message, the company website no longer provided its usual content and instead displayed an incident notice. The updates stated that IT specialists had been working on remediation since January 15. No restoration date was provided, and it remained unclear when full operations would resume.
If a client or partner is affected by this type of outage, the practical next step is to use alternative contact paths (such as phone or known direct contacts) and to expect delays in delivery, approvals, and ongoing support until systems are safely restored.