Tokyo — Japanese brewing giant Asahi Group Holdings has been hit by a major cyberattack that has forced the suspension of production and disrupted operations across its domestic network of 30 factories.
The company confirmed that the attack, which began on Monday, caused a system-wide failure affecting order processing, shipments, and customer service functions, including call centres. Production at several plants has been halted, and Asahi has not provided a timeline for when operations will resume.
Asahi, which controls nearly 40% of Japan’s beer market and owns international brands such as Peroni, Grolsch, and Pilsner Urquell, said there is no evidence so far of personal or customer data being leaked. The disruption is currently limited to its Japanese operations, with European and Asia-Pacific businesses unaffected.
Cybersecurity analysts suggest the scale of the outage bears hallmarks of a ransomware attack, though Asahi has not confirmed the nature of the breach. “Disruptions of this kind are extremely costly, particularly in industries reliant on just-in-time production and supply chains,” said Kevin Marriott, senior cyber manager at Immersive.
The incident highlights the growing vulnerability of global manufacturers to cybercrime. Similar attacks in recent months have crippled operations at major automotive and retail companies, underscoring the risks to critical supply chains.
Asahi has apologised to customers and business partners, stating it is working urgently to restore systems and resume production.
Sources: SecurityWeek, RTÉ News, Silicon Republic.
