Link11, a European IT security provider that protects organizations worldwide from cyberattacks on infrastructures and web applications, today announces it is further strengthening its presence in the Netherlands. 
 
Link11 is already active in the Netherlands, supporting clients in sectors such as transport, ticketing, e-commerce, and retail. Well-known names like TransLink and TicketSwap use Link11’s cloud-native solutions for DDoS protection and web and API security. This existing presence provides a strong foundation for further expansion, as the Netherlands is a strategic market due to its high digital activity and the presence of critical infrastructure. This includes Schiphol Airport, the Port of Rotterdam, transport and logistics networks, the financial sector, and public institutions.

These sectors have complex and critical IT infrastructures that need optimal protection against cyber threats, including politically motivated DDoS attacks. At the same time, there is a growing demand for sovereign, cloud-native infrastructures, and the European NIS2 directive, effective from 2026, requires companies and governments to further strengthen their cybersecurity to meet European standards. All these factors make the Netherlands a particularly attractive and strategic market for Link11. 
 

Stefan Benske responsible for the Netherlands

To seize opportunities in the Dutch market, Link11 has appointed Stefan Benske as Account Executive Netherlands. With more than twenty years of experience in cybersecurity and enterprise sales, he will focus on further developing Link11’s presence in the Netherlands. He supports existing clients and approaches new organizations, with a special focus on sectors with critical digital infrastructure. His goal is to position Link11 as a trusted cybersecurity partner, accelerate the adoption of cloud-native WAAP and DDoS protection, and assist organizations in meeting European compliance requirements such as NIS2. 
 
Moreover, the Dutch market offers ample opportunities to further expand the local partner network. Stefan Benske will play an active role in this by collaborating with MSPs, integrators, and cloud providers, fostering joint innovations and enablement programs, and thereby further improving organizations’ cybersecurity. 
 
Stefan Benske, Account Executive Netherlands: “I look forward to putting Link11 further on the map in the Netherlands and working with clients and partners to create a safer digital environment. Providing innovative solutions and strengthening collaboration with local partners is essential to effectively prevent cybercrime and help organizations optimally protect their digital infrastructure. This role gives me the opportunity to truly make an impact in a market that is constantly evolving.” 
 
Rolf Gierhard, CRO of Link11: “The increasing complexity of cyber threats, including politically motivated DDoS attacks, makes it crucial for companies and governments to actively secure their digital infrastructure and comply with European regulations such as NIS2. With the appointment of Stefan Benske, we are taking an important step in our European growth strategy. The Netherlands is a strategic market where we want to support organizations with advanced web and API security and DDoS protection. As a German company, we operate under the strictest data security and privacy regulations and provide solutions that guarantee full sovereignty and control over data within Europe.” 

Link11, a specialized European IT security provider, is expanding its management team: Marc Lamik is taking on the role of Chief Product Officer (CPO) and the responsibility of the company’s product strategy and development. With his international experience, he will be tasked with future-proofing product development and strategy and driving innovation for AI-based next-generation DDoS protection. This move underscores Link11’s position as a European player that enables companies to achieve digital sovereignty with solutions “Made in Europe.” 

 

Marc Lamik has more than 15 years of experience in international product management. He began his career at Zalando and was one of the company’s first product managers. He played a key role in setting up the internal e-commerce platform and the tech hubs in Dublin and Helsinki. He later became Managing Director of the tech hub in Lisbon. He then served as Director of Product at Cloudflare in Lisbon. There, he was responsible for a significant product portfolio and leading a global team working on solutions for internet challenges. From July 2022, he was responsible for all research and development teams at Moonfare as Chief Product and Technology Officer. His career has been marked by the implementation of innovative product strategies and the development of high-performing teams in international markets. 

 

“I am attracted by the dynamism of companies that want to grow and tap into new markets. Link11 has precisely this energy and, at the same time, a clear mission to actively shape digital sovereignty in Europe,” says Marc Lamik. “What I find particularly exciting is how we can use AI to make the defense and mitigation of cyberattacks even smarter and faster. AI is changing attacks, but it also opens up new opportunities to stop them.” 

 

Jens-Philipp Jung, CEO of Link11, states: “With Marc, we are gaining an experienced product manager who combines technological expertise and market orientation. His experience in developing complex products and scaling teams makes him the ideal candidate. Together, we will accelerate the development of our portfolio and continue to expand our position as a European provider of secure, sovereign protection on the internet. We are very pleased to have him on board.” 

 

With the addition of Marc Lamik, Link11 continues the alignment of its product management with future topics such as AI-supported cyber defense, digital sovereignty, and sustainable growth. Link11 operates its own sovereign cloud infrastructure within the EU legal framework so that companies in Europe can rely on independent security solutions. 

Link11 European Cyber Report: DDoS attacks reach record levels in the first half of 2025 – 225% more documented DDoS attacks and new attack tactics threaten critical infrastructure:

The threat situation in the area of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks has worsened dramatically in the first half of 2025. According to the latest Link11 European Cyber Report, the number of documented attacks on the Link11 network rose by 225% compared to the same period last year. In addition to the sheer volume, the duration, intensity, and sophistication of attacks have also reached new levels. 

Record figures: data avalanches and sustained attacks

In the first half of 2025, the volume of attacks totaled 438 terabytes. This corresponds to the data consumption of 7 years of uninterrupted Netflix streaming in 4K resolution. The recorded peak values of 1.2 terabits per second and 207 million packets per second reached dimensions that can overload even high-performance systems. 

The duration has also increased: the longest documented attack lasted more than 8 days. The shift from short flash attacks to coordinated sustained fire through long-term campaigns presents defense systems with ever-changing challenges. 

New forms of attack: Precision instead of brute force 

While classic volumetric attacks continue to dominate, Link11 analysts are seeing a significant increase in precise Layer 7 attacks. These cleverly disguise themselves in legitimate data traffic by generating seemingly normal requests.

“If they are invisible in regular traffic, 20,000 deceptively genuine requests per minute can be more dangerous than 200 million packets per second,” explains Jag Bains, VP Solution Engineering at Link11. 

Politically motivated attacks on critical infrastructure

The connection between geopolitical events and waves of attacks is particularly striking. Pro-Russian groups such as NoName057(16) targeted government agencies, banks, energy suppliers, and city administrations in Europe. These attacks often coincided with security policy decisions. Other groups such as Dark Storm and Keymous also became more prominent. 

“The dimensions are frightening. In the first half of 2025, we recorded a total of 438 terabytes of DDoS traffic on the Link11 network. That’s equivalent to more than 7 years of non-stop Netflix streaming in 4K. Comparisons like this illustrate the threat better than any statistics,“ says Jens-Philipp Jung, founder and CEO of Link11. ”European companies urgently need resilient defense strategies to protect their digital sovereignty.” 

Professionalization through crime-as-a-service and AI

The attacks are not only bigger and longer, they are also more professionally organized. Attackers are increasingly working together, using DDoS-as-a-service platforms and AI to optimize and camouflage their attacks. The World Economic Forum highlights this automation in its Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025 as a key driver of the threat landscape. 

Resilience instead of reaction required

The report’s findings show that companies and institutions need to consistently expand their security architecture. This includes: 

Only with a combination of intelligent defense technology and clearly defined resilience strategies can the consequences of massive attacks on business processes and critical infrastructures be effectively limited. 

Link11 has achieved Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) Level 1 certification. This is the highest level of security and compliance in the payment industry, which reinforces the company’s existing security standards. A uniform security framework now applies to all products and services across the entire group.

“PCI-DSS Level 1 certification for our entire portfolio is a decisive milestone for our cybersecurity platform,” says Jens-Philipp Jung, founder and CEO of Link11. “Individual products have already met this standard, and now we are gearing our entire range towards maximum security. For our customers, this means that no matter which solution they use, they can rely on a consistently trustworthy security architecture. This also reinforces our claim to deliver cybersecurity from Europe for Europe that is reliable, trustworthy, and continuously developed.”

This certification was a collaborative project that required close cooperation between various teams. As part of the certification process, which lasted several months, an independent Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) conducted a comprehensive audit. Every element of the company’s environment was thoroughly examined, from firewall configuration and network architecture to access rights, system monitoring, and contracts with external providers.

PCI-DSS divides service providers, such as hosting or cybersecurity providers, into two levels based on their annual transaction volume:

Without a certified partner, an online shop must implement numerous technical security measures itself, such as firewalls, encryption, logging, and vulnerability scans, and prove this in an audit. With Link11 as their IT security provider, merchants can outsource many of these controls. This allows them to reduce audit costs and the effort involved in security operations, among other things. Although responsibility for compliance with the regulations remains with the retailer, working with a PCI DSS-certified service provider makes it much easier to provide proof of compliance.

By achieving Level 1, Link11 has positioned itself in the strictest category of service providers to underscore its commitment to data security. The certification is a clear signal to partners and customers that Link11 takes its responsibility for protecting sensitive data very seriously and is continuously improving security.

The volume of events in the DDoS sector has reached record levels. This is why Link11 and evoila have launched a strategic partnership to bolster cybersecurity in critical infrastructures and international markets. The goal of this collaboration is to expand evoila’s portfolio to include comprehensive, highly available DDoS protection, as well as WAF and API security solutions for critical industries and international markets. evoila’s decision to collaborate with Link11 was influenced by the successful integration of Link11 services into its Security Operation Center (SOC) and Security 360° approach. 

The partnership is driven by the growing demand for resilient, cloud-integrated security architectures. “In Link11, we have found a partner that complements our vision of secure digital transformation,” says Daniel GraĂźer, Business Area Lead of Network & Security at evoila. “Integrating Link11 technologies allows us to incorporate security into all hybrid strategies from the outset. This is a decisive advantage, especially in times of increasing cyber threats.” 

Thinking internationally: Cybersecurity “Made in Germany”

The two companies share a common market vision. Combining evoila’s cloud expertise with Link11’s specialized security know-how will result in a security offering that meets both national and international requirements. Customers will benefit from this collaboration through: 

Focus industries and target markets

The partnership focuses on industries with high security requirements, such as critical infrastructure, financial services, e-commerce, the public sector, and medium-sized companies with growing IT complexity. As part of the joint 2025 market entry strategy, attention is also on customers in Switzerland, Poland, and other European markets. 

The joint service catalog will launch in the next quarter. The two companies are developing industry-specific security concepts as well as a protection package for SMEs based on evoila’s SOC that uses AI to detect threatening activities. 

“Our partnership with evoila is a strategic step toward jointly tapping into new markets and providing more targeted security for companies in critical areas,” says Jonas Jansen, Link11’s Head of Channel Sales. “We are bringing our many years of experience in cybersecurity and cutting-edge, cloud-native security to this partnership – for a secure future in Europe and real added value for our customers.” 

Jens-Philipp Jung, Link11 CEO: A look back to look ahead

If you had told me in 2005 that our newly-founded company would one day help protect some of the world’s most critical infrastructure, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. Not because we didn’t dream big—we did—but rather because cybersecurity looked very different at the time. And so did we. 

Link11 was born from our frustration with what seemed like an obvious problem: companies were becoming increasingly vulnerable to denial-of-service attacks, yet no one seemed to be addressing them with enough urgency, elegance, or reliability. So we rolled up our sleeves, built our own tech stack, and answered support calls ourselves. We pulled all-nighters because if a customer was under attack, it was personal. 

Over the years, we grew from a handful of passionate engineers in Germany to a global company with customers across the world. We evolved from a DDoS protection company into a platform that protects, accelerates, and empowers digital businesses. 

Today, we’re unveiling a new identity that reflects the company we’ve become and the one we plan to be in the future. 

Why We Have Rebranded

Rebranding is one of the most visible things a company can do. And if done right, it is also one of the most meaningful. 

This decision was the result of lots of deliberation from both internal and external stakeholders. Our product has evolved massively over the last 20 years, as has the threat landscape. We felt, after much reflection, that our old identity didn’t reflect this change and the role we want to play in the industry’s future. 

Our old brand was built for where we started. But we’ve outgrown that phase. We now need an image that reflects: 

This rebrand is our way of aligning our external image with our internal reality. 

The Evolution of Our Logo: A Visual Reflection of Our Journey

Logos are more than just symbols; they are also milestones. 

2005 – 2015: The Interlocking Rings 

Our very first logo featured two elliptical, interlocking rings. It was inspired by the idea of networks—open, fluid, and always connected. This visual stood for resilience through redundancy, a core principle of our DDoS mitigation architecture even in those early days. The shape also conveyed motion, reflecting the real-time nature of our protection. 

2011 – 2025: The Server Bars 

In 2011, we introduced a bolder, more technical look. The three horizontal bars, angled forward, represented the three pillars of our server architecture: self-built, high-performing, and ready for scale. This era was defined by growth, whether this was our international expansion, telco and enterprise adoption, or the beginning of our cloud-native evolution. The logo projected stability and our engineering-first DNA. 

2025 – Today: The Shield – Built to Defend 

Our new logo represents our past and our future strategy: 

This new symbol tells the story of where we’ve been, and where we’re headed. 

What the New Brand Represents

We’ve introduced a modern design system: clear, bold, minimal. It reflects our commitment to simplicity in an industry that’s often dominated by complexity. 

We’ve adopted a new voice: confident, but never arrogant. Direct, but never cold. Our goal is to communicate the way we build products: secure, smart, and easy to engage with. 

And we want to use our brand not just to say what we do, but to help more people understand why we do it. 

What Will Never Change

However, it’s important that we retain the core values that have made our business into what it is today.  

What Comes Next

Changing a fundamental aspect of your business’s image is the sign of a new start and a look to the future, But what does that mean for us? 

You’ll see us investing more in platform capabilities that blend security and performance. We’re making threat intelligence more actionable. We’re doubling down on forensic transparency with real-time observability tools. We’re enhancing the developer experience for faster onboarding. And we’re expanding our physical infrastructurewith new scrubbing centers and global POPs. 

We’re also investing in you—our customers, our partners, and our community. We’re launching more resources, more touchpoints, and more ways to collaborate. If you’ve known Link11 for years, we want you to feel the continuity. If you’re just discovering us, we want you to feel at home. 

A Note From Me to You

I want to take a moment to say something personal. 

This rebrand means a lot to me. Not because of the font or the logo, but because of what it symbolizes. It’s a line in the sand. It says “We’ve grown, we’ve matured, and we’re ready for what’s next.” 

It also reminds me why I started Link11 in the first place: not to build a company that simply reacts to threats, but to build one that makes digital progress safer by default. 

I’m grateful to our incredible team across Germany, Canada, and Israel who have poured themselves into this process. Their input has been invaluable, not just in the brand work but also in the product work that earned us the right to rebrand in the first place. 

I’m grateful to our customers and partners, who challenge us to be better every day. 

This isn’t just a new look. 

It’s a new chapter. 

Let’s write it together. 

 

Jens-Philipp Jung
CEO & Co-Founder, Link11 

Link11 has fully integrated DOSarrest and Reblaze to become one of Europe’s leading providers of network security, web application security, and application performance  

Link11, DOSarrest, and Reblaze have combined their strengths into a single, integrated platform with a new brand identity. The result: a consistent user experience, maximum efficiency, and seamless security. As a European provider, Link11 addresses the current business risks associated with geopolitical uncertainties and growing compliance requirements. At the same time, the company secures business-critical processes worldwide through the synergies created.  

With the acquisitions of DOSarrest in 2021 and Reblaze Technologies in 2024, Link11 has expanded its market position. The new Link11 WAAP (Web Application and API Protection) SaaS platform combines comprehensive DDoS protection against web attacks with ML-based adaptive security and API protection. The result is an unmatched combination of adaptive real-time traffic filtering, AI-powered bot detection, and a next-gen web application firewall for secure and encrypted interactions in a single suite.  

At the end of 2023, Link11 secured an investment of €26.5 million from Pride Capital Partners. This financing will support the company’s planned product developments and international go-to-market strategy.  

Maximum security through proprietary, sovereign cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence

Link11 is setting new standards in protection against DDoS attacks by using its own AI-based technology. The patented DDoS filter secures all traffic within the Link11 cloud – faster and more efficiently than conventional solutions. The advantages over competitors lie in users’ full control over scaling and intelligent real-time analysis of traffic, as well as continuous learning from attacks.  

While other providers rely on third-party infrastructures such as AWS or Google, Link11 controls its own cloud infrastructure. This allows protection mechanisms to work in real time – without delays that can have critical consequences in a DDoS attack. As one of Europe’s leading IT security providers, Link11 enables platform-independent protection, even in multi-cloud environments.  

Technological independence as a security factor

The solution is designed for workloads in any cloud environment. Link11’s network was developed specifically for modern cybersecurity requirements and sovereignty. It strengthens security at the network edge, accelerates global content delivery, and provides resilience and data sovereignty.  

Jens-Philipp Jung, founder and CEO of Link11: “Cybersecurity today means resilience against threats and outages. European companies that set global standards in data protection should also insist on independence when it comes to their cyber resilience. Especially in times of geopolitical uncertainty, sovereign, powerful and trustworthy IT solutions are needed. With Link11, we are demonstrating what European cutting-edge technology can achieve: maximum resilience, top performance and uncompromising compliance – independently and confidently”. 

European companies should rely on an EU-based DDoS protection provider

Recent surveys of cybersecurity managers show that, given the option, independent and trustworthy security solutions from Europe will be used more in the future. Link11 has been successfully providing its services to companies such as financial institutions, media companies, retail and logistics companies, and the public sector for many years. With a strong brand and a multi-layered security approach, Link11 helps its customers reduce their dependence on cybersecurity. The goal is to make security architectures more resilient – technologically, functionally, and geopolitically.  

Cyberattacks are no longer an abstract threat – they dominate risk planning for companies worldwide. The latest Link11 European Cyber Report shows an alarming trend: the number of DDoS attacks has more than doubled, and they are shorter, more targeted, and more technically sophisticated. Organizations that fail to continuously adapt their security strategies risk massive financial and long-term reputational damage.

The numbers speak for themselves

Why organizations should act now

The Allianz Risk Barometer 2025 confirms that digital transformation offers not only opportunities, but also new targets. Cybercriminals use powerful botnets and more sophisticated attack techniques than ever before, and the speed of DDoS attacks is increasing as a result. One specific case illustrates how sophisticated attacks are pushing organizations to their limits.

Multi-vector DDoS: When Network Load Meets Application Attacks

A four-day attack combined Layer 3/4 and Layer 7 techniques, putting both infrastructure and web applications under massive pressure. Link11 recorded a total of 120 million requests, resulting in more than a million WAF logs – a load that quickly overwhelmed conventional defenses.

The attackers’ strategic approach was particularly striking:

Organizations that do not continuously adapt their IT security strategy risk becoming victims of targeted attacks. Web applications and APIs are particularly targeted by cybercriminals because they often handle sensitive data and control critical business processes.

Modern security architecture is the key to resilience

The incident highlights the fact that traditional DDoS defenses are no longer sufficient. DDoS mitigation must adapt to new threats. Enterprises are increasingly relying on AI-powered systems to detect and block attacks in real time. In addition, web application and API (WAAP) protection is becoming more important due to the prevalence of this attack vector.

Combining advanced protection solutions:

A holistic security strategy combines advanced DDoS mitigation, continuous monitoring, and adaptive protection mechanisms. “The increasing number of DDoS attacks shows that cybercriminals continue to rely on this proven method. However, the shortened attack time does not mean that the threat is decreasing – on the contrary: companies need to react faster and further optimize their defense mechanisms,” said Jens-Philipp Jung, CEO of Link11.

The full European Cyber Report 2025 can be downloaded here.

Link11, a global IT security specialist, is strengthening its existing management team of Jens-Philipp Jung (CEO), Karsten Desler (CTO) and Rolf Gierhard (CRO) by bringing on Maximilian Haakh as the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Maximilian Haakh will lead the company’s financial strategy and will also be responsible for IT, HR and Legal to support Link11’s growth with his expertise. His many years of experience in mergers & acquisitions (M&A), corporate finance and strategic corporate development make him a valuable asset for Link11.

Jens-Philipp Jung, CEO of Link11, sees the appointment of Maximilian Haakh as an important step for the future of the company: “Maximilian combines in-depth financial knowledge with a keen eye for strategic growth. His experience in the IT and finance industry will help us to further strengthen our market position. We are looking forward to working together and reaching newer and greater milestones.”

Maximilian Haakh has a proven track record in successfully executing M&A transactions, developing comprehensive financial and corporate strategies, and optimizing financial processes. Most recently, he was responsible for corporate development, M&A and strategy at Cognizant Technology Solutions, where he identified and evaluated potential acquisitions and strategic investments. Prior to that, he has built a wealth of valuable experience in investment banking and management consulting.

“I am very much looking forward to working with the management team to take Link11 to the next level,” said Maximilian Haakh. “The cybersecurity industry is developing rapidly and is of enormous strategic importance. The growing threats require innovative solutions, and I am highly motivated to play my part in building a European cybersecurity champion. I am also looking forward to the challenge of helping to shape the consolidation of the cybersecurity market and thereby driving sustainable growth.”

The strengthening of the management team around Maximilian Haakh is a clear sign of Link11’s continued growth. The company is driving the development of innovative security solutions and increasing its focus on sustainable international expansion.