Asahi Cyber-attack Exposes Data of Over 1.5 Million Customers

A significant cyber-attack on the Japanese beverage giant, Asahi, has potentially compromised the personal data of over 1.5 million customers. The ransomware incident occurred in September, severely disrupting operations across its factories in Japan.

Details of the Cyber-attack

Asahi announced its findings following an extensive investigation into the ransomware attack. The company reported that the attackers had infiltrated its systems by 29 September, leading to the encryption of data and deployment of ransomware.

Data Compromised

• 1.52 million customer records exposed, including names, gender, addresses, and contact information.
• 107,000 records related to current and former employees, and 168,000 family members of staff were also affected.
• Contact details of 114,000 external individuals who interacted with the company were potentially leaked.
• No credit card information was part of the compromised data.

Asahi assured that it has found no evidence of the leaked data being publicly released. The fallout of the cyber-attack has been limited to systems managed within Japan.

Operational Disruption

The attack caused significant disruptions in Asahi’s production processes. Employees had to revert to manual order-taking, resulting in noticeable shortages of their products, including both beer and soft drinks. The company holds approximately 40% of Japan’s beer market share, which intensified the impact of the disruptions in retail outlets across the country.

While the incident primarily affected operations in Japan, Asahi noted that its international brands, such as Peroni and Fuller’s Brewery in the UK, have not been impacted.

Response and Recovery Efforts

Asahi’s president and CEO, Atsushi Katsuki, indicated that the company had devoted two months to contain the attack and is now focused on restoring its systems. The company is also implementing measures to enhance information security and prevent future incidents.

This ransomware attack on Asahi is part of a broader trend, as another notable incident involved Jaguar Land Rover, which had to seek emergency funding due to operational disruptions caused by a similar attack.

Asahi continues to work diligently to recover from this cyber-attack and mitigate its lasting effects on both its operational capacity and customer trust.