How STIHL Secures a Global Legacy Through Digital Sovereignty

TL;DR

XM Cyber moved STIHL - a family-owned global manufacturer - from a prevention-only security model to one built around a simple reality: break-ins are inevitable, so what matters is controlling the consequences. The XM Cyber platform continuously maps attack paths across STIHL's global infrastructure and identifies the few fixes that neutralize the most risk at once. The result: zero business interruptions despite numerous attempted attacks.

The Challenge

STIHL is a third-generation, family-owned company with a long tradition of innovation. As its operations grew increasingly connected and digital, the company recognized early that proactive cybersecurity was essential to protecting its data, operations, and reputation. According to Chairman Dr. Nikolas Stihl, one of the company’s key strengths has always been anticipating risks before they surface: “Anyone who asks around and follows technological developments in the field of cybercrime knows that companies need to take targeted precautions. Because this has been our approach from the outset, we have so far escaped unscathed – despite numerous attempted attacks.”

This philosophy guided STIHL’s next step. The leadership team sought to secure their fast-growing global infrastructure while maintaining full control of data, systems, and processes. They required a solution that could deliver continuous visibility, provide clear priorities for remediation, and grant real-time protection—all while complying with stringent European data protection standards.

The Solution

Before switching to XM Cyber, STIHL already had a well-functioning security system, but it operated based on the older method of trying to prevent every single attack. Dr. Stihl explained what convinced them to change:

“What convinced us about XM Cyber was the truly new and innovative approach: break-ins are inevitable. But the consequences of a break-in can be controlled and limited."

Dr. Nikolas Stihl, Chairman of the Advisory & Supervisory Board

STIHL chose XM Cyber to enhance visibility and control across its global environment. Running on STACKIT’s sovereign European cloud, the platform continuously maps exposures and attack paths, helping the company pinpoint and reduce risk before it can impact operations. As Dr. Stihl noted, the platform enables his company to focus its resources on the most critical risks: “XM Cyber enables us not only to identify vulnerabilities, but also to prioritize them. This means we know the biggest risks to our business processes and can take targeted countermeasures.”

XM Cyber helps STIHL map how small weaknesses can connect into attack paths that lead to critical assets. The platform’s digital-twin functionality allows STIHL to validate what is truly exploitable in their environment without running risky payloads or disrupting systems. This eliminates blind spots across hybrid infrastructure and helps STIHL’s security and operations teams align on the potential business impact of exposures and the best actions to take.

The XM Cyber implementation was quick and smooth. The platform rapidly provided STIHL with full visibility and clear guidance on where to act, helping the IT team cut risk and keep operations running without disruption. Dr. Stihl highlighted the collaborative approach: “Right from the start, we have maintained close contact with the XM Cyber specialists in Israel, who support us in an advisory capacity.”

Benefits & Outcomes

XM Cyber provides STIHL with a consolidated, real-time view of its digital environment and the ability to act before threats can escalate. Attack path analytics now highlight the few remediation steps that neutralize many risks at once, significantly improving operational efficiency across teams. With stronger resilience and greater confidence across all sites and systems, Dr. Stihl noted that his company’s operations have remained remarkably stable:

“In times when there have been incidents at many well-known companies, we have not had to suffer any interruption to our business operations.”

Dr. Nikolas Stihl, Chairman of the Advisory & Supervisory Board

This continuous, attacker-aware visibility gives STIHL the foresight to detect weaknesses early and confirm that every fix strengthens the organization’s overall security posture. Today, STIHL understands how attacks could unfold and uses that insight to protect its innovations, keep systems running, and maintain trust across its global network.

Key Takeaways

• STIHL's previous security model focused on preventing every attack. XM Cyber introduced a different approach: assume intrusions will happen and focus on controlling their consequences.
• The platform maps how small weaknesses connect into attack paths that lead to critical assets. Its digital-twin functionality then validates which of those paths are actually exploitable - without running risky payloads or disrupting production.
• Attack path analytics show the team which few fixes neutralize the most risk at once, so the team spends its time on what actually moves the needle.
• Despite numerous attempted attacks, STIHL has not suffered a single business interruption - a track record the Chairman credits directly to the company's proactive approach.
• Digital sovereignty runs through the entire strategy. STIHL runs XM Cyber on STACKIT's sovereign European cloud to keep full control of its data and systems under European standards.