Asahi Breweries Hit by Cyberattack,Forcing Return to Manual Ordering
TOKYO – Japanese brewing giant Asahi has been forced to temporarily revert to pen-and-paper ordering after a recent cyberattack disrupted its systems,impacting deliveries to restaurants and bars across the country. The incident underscores growing concerns about Japan’s cybersecurity vulnerabilities despite its reputation for technological advancement.
The attack, confirmed this week, compromised Asahi’s IT infrastructure, preventing digital order processing and forcing the company to rely on fax and phone calls to fulfill customer requests. Sakaolath, owner of Ben Thai restaurant, expressed uncertainty about future orders of Asahi’s popular Super dry beer, mirroring the anxieties of many business owners nationwide.
While the extent of the data breach remains under investigation, the incident highlights a systemic issue within japan. Experts point to a shortage of cybersecurity professionals and comparatively low levels of digital literacy in business software as key weaknesses. Last year, the government finally discontinued its practice of requesting document submissions via floppy disk - a technology largely obsolete elsewhere as the 1990s.
“Japan is vulnerable to cyber-attacks given a reliance on legacy systems and a society with a high level of trust,” explained Cartan McLaughlin from Nihon Cyber Defense Group to the BBC.He added that many Japanese organizations are unprepared for attacks and are often willing to pay ransoms, making them attractive targets for hackers.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi stated at a news conference that the Asahi attack is being investigated, and pledged continued improvements to japan’s cyber capabilities. Earlier this year, the government enacted the Active Cyber defence Law (ACD), granting increased powers to share data with companies and allowing law enforcement and the Self-Defense Forces to proactively neutralize attacker servers.
Though, the immediate impact is being felt by businesses like Ben Thai, demonstrating that legislative measures offer little immediate relief to those directly affected by cyberattacks.
