Asahi, one of Japan’s largest breweries, was recently hit by a ransomware attack that crippled its operational capabilities and inevitably disrupted its production. As of this publication, the brewery hasn’t seemingly resolved the issue with its attackers and supply for one of its most popular beers could run out in a matter of days.
Here’s a recap: at the start of last week, Asahi was hit by a cyberattack, and that forced the company to suspend its activities. Basically, new orders and shipments for its Super Dry beer, plus its customer service was suspended. Asahi has released a statement since then, although it seems to be withholding some details, likely for privacy reasons.
“I would like to sincerely apologize for any difficulties caused to our stakeholders by the recent system disruption. We are continuing our investigation to determine the nature and scope of the potential unauthorized data transfer. We are making every effort to restore the system as quickly as possible, while implementing alternative measures to ensure continued product supply to our customers. We appreciate your understanding and support.” Atsushi Katsuki, CEO of Asahi, said.
Asahi operates 30 factories and in Japan, all of which have been offline since Monday. Again, supply for its Super Dry, it’s most popular beer, could run dry within three days, if operations do not resume soon.
This isn’t the first time a threat actor has targetted known brands or even groups that provide critical infrastructure. Back in 2021, the group known as Darkside breached the cybersecurity of the US-based Colonial Pipeline and Japan-based Toshiba. In the same year, McDonalds’ chains in South Korea and Taiwan fell victims to attacks.
