The most popular brewer in Japan, the Asahi Group, has halted operations at the overwhelming majority of the 30 factories across the nation in the wake of a catastrophic cyberattack, which rendered the company’s ordering and shipment logistics unavailable. The Asahi Group Holdings, the maker behind Asahi Super Dry beer based in Tokyo, said Monday the cyberattack created a “system failure” for the Tokyo-based company, and there is no known estimate on when it will get back on its feet.
Major retailers’ commercial warning of products becoming out of the market
Japan is running low on Asahi products such as beer and bottled tea as tainted information systems have significantly affected a big cyber-attack that has paralyzed its operations in Japan. Most of the Asahi Group’s domestic factories in Japan were forced to a standstill after the attack interfered with its ordering and delivery systems on Monday. Deepo, the largest convenience store chain in Japan, like 7-Eleven and FamilyMart, has now sent out warnings to customers to expect the worst when it comes to Asahi products.
In a statement Friday, Asahi said it was “not able to give a definite timeline” for recovery of the programming systems, but had begun “partial manual” processing of orders and shipments. Asahi is the largest brewery in Japan, but it also produces soft drinks, food products, and sells its own brand products to other retailers. It is the owner of Fullers in the UK, of Monteiro, and of the most renowned brands in the world, namely Peroni, Pilsner Urquell, and Grolsch.
This network isolation violates national e-mail interconnection
Asahi said that, as a result of the containment measures after the attack, indirectly, the ordering and shipment systems in Japan have been affected, and emails from outside have also not been able to enter. However, the company said that order operations and delivery through the system are still suspended, but the processing of supplier orders has been a management issue we cannot control more fully, and has started the first step of partial manual order processing and delivery.
Convenience store chains place stock on emergency response
In a Thursday statement, FamilyMart, one of Japan’s biggest convenience store operators, said its FM range of bottled tea with its trademark Famimaru, which was produced by Asahi in Japan, could be more limited in supply or unavailable.
“We deeply regret the inconvenience given to our customers,” said FamilyMart in a statement, while it has teamed with Asahi to restart the sale of the products, adding that 7-Eleven, the Japanese-owned international convenience store chain, has suspended deliveries of Asahi products in the country, including its Super Dry beer.
The retailer claimed that it was aiming to stockpile other products so that the effect on customers could be reduced. Japanese supermarket chain Life Cooperation also stated that Asahi products might soon sell out.
Company leadership prioritizes rapid system restoration efforts
Asahi president and group chief executive, Atsushi Katsuki, was apologetic for the inconvenience. “We will use all possible means to resume the system as soon as possible and take alternative measures to ensure the supply of other products to our customers,” he said. Asahi also said it was working on returning its call centre operations next week.
In the case of the attack on Asahi Group, this executive computer network has become a vital point for supply management within the group, and this cyberattack reflects how easy sophisticated cyberattacks can be against large corporations. While the company undertakes to return the company to full operations with the aid of manual operations, this incident offers a stark reminder of the critical importance of strong cybersecurity measures in defending vital infrastructures.