Brewing giant Asahi has suspended operations in Japan following a “system failure” caused by a cyber-attack.
The firm, which is headquartered in Tokyo, said that order and shipment operations at group companies in Japan have been suspended, as have call center operations, including customer service desks.
“We are actively investigating the cause and working to restore operations; however, there is currently no estimated timeline for recovery. The system failure is limited to our operations within Japan,” Asahi wrote in a press release published on September 29.
“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused to our customers and business partners,” the firm added.
Asahi said there has been no confirmed leakage of personal information or customer data to external parties “at this time.”
However, Kevin Marriott, senior manager of cyber at Immersive, urged customers to keep an eye on updates in this area as the situation evolves.
“In their statement, Asahi said ‘there has been no confirmed leakage’. As is often the case in these situations, stances on what has and hasn’t been compromised can change, so this may not be a definitive position, and data might have been stolen,” he commented.
Suspended Operations May Have Substantial Financial Impact
Asahi has around a 40% share of the beer market in Japan and the shutdown of operations is likely to have a major financial impact.
The firm owns a range of well-known global drinks brands, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, as well as food products.
Its five beer brands are Asahi, Peroni, Kozer, Pilsner Urquell and Grolsch. It also owns UK-based brewery Fullers.
Marriott warned of the potential knock-on impact of the incident onto Asahi’s vast supply chain, as has been seen in recent attacks on the retail sector and car manufacturing giant Jaguar Land Rover (JLR).
“Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting the operations of global brands, with Asahi the latest victim. Manufacturing networks are complex ecosystems, spanning legacy infrastructure, external suppliers, diverse technologies and competing priorities around safety and availability. A breach in one area can quickly ripple through supply chains and disrupt operations,” Marriott said.
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