Asahi Cyberattack Threatens Supply of Japan’s Best-Selling Beer
TOKYO – A ransomware attack against beverage giant asahi Group Holdings is disrupting the supply of Asahi Super Dry, Japan’s most popular beer, with retailers warning stocks could be depleted as early as this weekend.
Asahi announced on monday that order, shipment, and call center operations were suspended due to a systems outage affecting onyl its Japanese operations. While the company has begun manually processing orders, widespread shipments remain halted as of today.
Asahi confirmed it was targeted by a ransomware attack but is withholding details “to prevent further damage.” The company has not provided a timeline for full system recovery.
“We took immediate action to contain and respond to the incident,” Asahi stated in a system failure notice. “Subsequent investigations have confirmed traces suggesting a potential unauthorized transfer of data. We are conducting an inquiry to determine the nature and scope of the data that may have been subject to unauthorized transfer.”
According to a report in The Financial Times on Thursday,major Japanese retailers estimate nationwide Asahi Super Dry supplies will be weary if supply chains aren’t quickly restored.
