Post by : Rameen Ariff

Tokyo, Japan: Japanese beer giant Asahi has revealed that a massive cyber-attack in September may have exposed the personal information of over 1.5 million customers. The attack disrupted the company’s operations across its factories in Japan, forcing staff to take orders manually.

Asahi said the breach likely affected people who contacted its customer service centers, and those impacted will be informed soon. The company also announced that it would delay the release of its full-year financial results to focus on addressing the cyber-attack.

The preliminary investigation showed that the disruption occurred at one of Asahi’s data centers on September 29. Although the system was quickly isolated, the attackers had already infiltrated the network, encrypted data, and deployed ransomware—a type of virus that blocks access to files until a ransom is paid.

The leaked data may include the names, genders, addresses, and contact details of approximately 1.52 million customers. Information from about 107,000 current and former employees and 168,000 family members of staff may also have been exposed. Additionally, contact details of 114,000 external business contacts were linked to the breach. Asahi confirmed that no credit card details were included in the leaked data.

The company has not found evidence that the stolen data has been publicly released, and the attack only affected systems managed in Japan. Operations of Asahi-owned brands in Europe, such as Peroni and Fuller's Brewery in the UK, were not impacted.

The cyber-attack caused shortages of beer and soft drinks, including ginger beer and soda water, in shops across Japan. Asahi, which controls around 40% of the Japanese beer market, has been gradually resuming shipments.

Asahi’s president and CEO, Atsushi Katsuki, apologized for the disruption, saying, “We are making every effort to restore all systems as quickly as possible while strengthening our information security measures and preventing future incidents.”

Cyber-attacks on major global companies have increased in recent years. Similar attacks have affected other big brands, including Jaguar Land Rover, which had to seek emergency funding after a cyber-attack paralyzed its British factories.

#Global News