Asahi beers running out in Japan as cyberattack shutdown lingers

Asahi beers running out in Japan as cyberattack shutdown lingers

A cyberattack on Asahi Group, Japan’s largest brewer, has led to a significant disruption in the production and distribution of its popular beverages, including Super Dry beer. The attack, which began five days ago, has halted operations at most of the company's 30 Japanese factories, resulting in potential shortages of Asahi products in the country .

The cyberattack has crippled order and shipment operations, causing supermarket chains such as Lawson and 7-Eleven to prepare for shortages. Asahi has temporarily suspended operations, including order processing, shipping, and call center services, and has not yet provided an estimated timeline for recovery .

While the brewer has not reported any compromise of personal information or customer data, the disruption has led to a 4% drop in Asahi’s shares to their lowest level since February . Analysts at Morgan Stanley MUFG estimate potential daily losses at between $10.2 million and $13.6 million under a full suspension scenario .

Asahi has begun processing some orders manually by visiting customers in person and handwriting orders, and has halted new orders for alcoholic beverages to prioritize outgoing shipments. The company continues to accept orders for food and soft drinks, and is working closely with investigative authorities to address the cyberattack .

This incident adds to a growing list of cyber and ransomware attacks on global businesses. Similar disruptions have been seen in Britain, where luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover was forced to halt production last month, and in the UK, where retailers Marks & Spencer and the Co-op Group have suffered recent breaches .