Kling Automaten Data Breach

Qilin ransomware has claimed Kling Automaten, a German operator of retail amusement and gaming machines, as a victim. The listing appeared on the threat actor’s leak site on August 27, 2026, and was identified by SOCRadar’s Dark Web Monitoring service. Kling Automaten, operating the domain kling-gmbh[.]de, falls within the retail and consumer services sector, a common target for ransomware and extortion groups. The Qilin ransomware group has been active, listing 68 other victims in the preceding 60 days. Their targeting spans across technology, retail, and financial services industries. Notable recent victims in the retail and services sectors include Open Sports, Thrifty Building Supply, WEBA Meubelen, and Price Shoes. Kling Automaten aligns with the group’s typical profile of mid-market European retail and consumer services companies.

SOCRadar’s telemetry analysis identified records associated with the domain kling-gmbh[.]de. Specifically, credentials were found on zeit[.]kling-gmbh[.]de, which appears to be an internal time-tracking or scheduling system. Additionally, one corporate identity was found to be reused on MyHeritage, a consumer genealogy platform. These findings cover a freshness window from February 2025 through July 2026, spanning over 17 months. The presence of credentials on an internal system like zeit[.]kling-gmbh[.]de indicates direct exposure of a corporate portal. The reuse of a corporate identity on a consumer platform like MyHeritage suggests potential personal browsing activities on a corporate device, leading to workstation compromise. Credentials that have not been rotated for over a year are a significant indicator of security hygiene gaps, which are precisely what initial access brokers supporting ransomware operations actively seek. The identified credential exposure presents two distinct risks. The direct access to the internal scheduling system is a critical vulnerability. Furthermore, the credential reuse on a public consumer site increases the likelihood of unauthorized access through credential stuffing or phishing attacks targeting the reused credentials. This situation warrants immediate attention to both endpoint security and a thorough review of credential management practices, including mandatory rotation of all potentially exposed credentials.

This report is intended for threat intelligence and security awareness purposes. SOCRadar does not host, redistribute or buy stolen data. All breach information reported here is collected from publicly accessible threat actor and ransomware portals. This content is intended to equip CTI teams with context around recent attacks. While we strive for accuracy, listings on ransomware leak and extortion sites cannot always be independently verified and may not reflect confirmed breaches. If you believe any data in this report is incorrect, please contact us.