Post by : Raina
Al-Fahim
Tokyo, Japan: In a significant cyber-attack last month, Asahi, a leading Japanese brewery, has disclosed a compromise of personal data for over 1.5 million customers. The incident disrupted operations in the company’s facilities, prompting staff to revert to manual order processing.
The breach mainly impacts individuals who interacted with the company’s customer service, and Asahi intends to notify those affected without delay. The brewery has also decided to postpone the release of its annual financial results to concentrate on resolving this cyber incident.
Initial findings indicate that the attack targeted one of Asahi's data centers on September 29, which, despite immediate isolation efforts, had already led to network infiltration, data encryption, and ransomware deployment—a malicious software blocking file access until a ransom is provided.
Among the data exposed are names, genders, addresses, and contact information of roughly 1.52 million customers. Furthermore, details from about 107,000 current and past employees, including 168,000 family members, were also jeopardized alongside the contact information of 114,000 external business associates. Asahi confirmed that no credit card details were among the leaked information.
There is currently no evidence suggesting that the stolen information has been publicly shared. It’s important to note that the attack affected only systems in Japan, leaving Asahi's operations in Europe, including those of brands like Peroni and Fuller's Brewery, unaffected.
This cyber event has led to noticeable shortages of beverages, including beer and soft drinks like ginger beer and soda water, across Japanese stores. Asahi, holding nearly 40% of the domestic beer market, is beginning to resume its distribution.
Atsushi Katsuki, Asahi's president and CEO, extended his apologies for the inconvenience, stating, "We are exerting all efforts to restore full operations while bolstering our information security to prevent future hacks."
Cyber threats to major corporations have risen significantly in recent years, with notable attacks on well-known brands like Jaguar Land Rover, which faced urgent financial measures after a similar incident crippled its British factories.
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