Duvel has ‘enough beer’ following ransonware attack

The production of beer was halted at Duvel’s Moortgat Brewery last week following a ransomware attack.

The company, which brews La Chouffe, Maredsous and Vedett, and is well-known for its strong pale ale, had to halt the manufacturing at its bottling facilities as a result of the attack.

A spokesperson for the company told local media that its own detection systems, which are automated, had highlighted that it had occurred.

The group Stormous has claimed responsibility for the attack, and said that 88GB of data was stolen, and it has said it would leak the information if a ransom wasn’t paid before 25 March.

It is not known if the information that was taken from the company’s system includes recipes for brews or whether it is other sensitive information.

Communications manager Ellen Aarts at Duvel Moortgat said that the attack should not impact on distribution and that the brewery’s warehouses were stocked.

“Alarms went off in Duvel’s IT department because ransomware was detected.

“Therefore, production was immediately stopped. It is not yet known when it could restart. We hope to restart today or tomorrow.”

Users on social media responded to the incident by calling it a “national emergency” and calling on the company to clarify the levels of “strategic reserves” available.

Some commentators also were worried about the news, and whether it would impact on stock levels going forward, when production would restart, and when it would return to normal, as well as if it could impact prices.

At the time of writing, it is not known if the attack has impacted any other parts of the business or the main brewery in Breendock.