Asahi suffers cyber-attack
Japanese brewer Asahi is currently experiencing a “system failure” as a result of a cyber-attack impacting shipping and customer service operations in Japan.
Asahi is the latest business to be attacked by online hackers. In recent months, other major companies including Jaguar Land Rover and UK retailers Marks & Spencer and Co-op have also suffered system breaches.
The Japanese brewer announced the system failure in a statement released on Monday (29 September).
It said there had been “no confirmed leakage of personal information or customer data to external parties”.
However, order and shipment operations at group companies in Japan have been suspended, as have call centre operations and customer service desks while the company deals with the attack.
Asahi’s European operations, including the UK, were not affected.
The brewer said in a statement: “We are actively investigating the cause and working to restore operations; however, there is currently no estimated timeline for recovery. The system failure is limited to our operations within Japan.
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“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused to our customers and business partners.”
Asahi warned that a cyber-attack was among the main risks it faced as a company in the medium to short term in a report released last year.
The company said at the time that it was assessing the maintenance of its security system in order to reduce the risk, predicting that an attack would lead to disruptions in business, create cashflow issues and damage the brand.
It is unclear whether its efforts to increase online security have mitigated the impact of the recent cyber-attack.
Asahi is Japan’s biggest brewer and owns global beer brands Peroni, Pilsner Urquell and Grolsch.
In the UK, Asahi owns west London’s Fullers brewery, which produces London Pride, Cornish Orchard and Dark Star.
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