No suds for you! Asahi brewery attack leaves Japanese drinkers dry

One week after the blitz, beer biz is still stymied

Ransomware has left Japan's biggest brewer struggling to ship beer, with Asahi warning domestic customers to brace for patchy supplies while its core systems stay offline.

Last week, Asahi suffered an online invasion that shut down its Japanese distribution system and call centers, but in a Friday update, the venerable drinks biz said systems weren't restored yet and that only limited manual orders and deliveries had begun.

Asahi hasn't responded to our questions about the incident. However, it has confirmed ransomware was to blame in its press release and said there are traces suggesting a possible unauthorized data transfer.

"To prevent further damage, we are withholding specific details regarding the cyberattack," Asahi said.

"We placed the highest priority on safeguarding critical data, including the personal information of our customers and business partners, and promptly isolated the affected systems to minimize the impact," it added. "We are conducting [an] investigation to determine the nature and scope of the information that may have been subject to unauthorized transfer."

The attack did not halt brewing itself, but it forced the company to switch to manual processing of orders. Limited shipments resumed on Friday, while call centers are slated to partially restart during the week of October 6, and CEO Atsushi Katsuki offered his apologies.

"I would like to sincerely apologize for any difficulties caused to our stakeholders by the recent system disruption," he said.

"We are making every effort to restore the system as quickly as possible, while implementing alternative measures to ensure continued product supply to our customers. We appreciate your understanding and support."

Retailers are already reporting shortages, with Japan's 7-Eleven operator Seven & i and rival FamilyMart saying they've been affected and that some stores are running low on beer and non-alcoholic lines. Asahi has said it is still reviewing the potential impact of the attack on its financial results.

"It's a bit of a problem," Tokyo chef Tomiko Yano of Kushiyaki Tosaka told Reuters. "We specialize in yakitori (skewered chicken) and it pairs really well with Super Dry. A lot of customers say that, so I'm a little worried (about the shortage)."

Thankfully for the rest of Asahi's customers, the incident is affecting only the Japanese mainland. The company controls brewery brands around the globe, but these remain unaffected it seems.

But the case shows just how vulnerable large corporations are to the effects of being penetrated, even national icons. This week Jaguar Land Rover, the venerable British automaker owned by Tata Motors, secured an about $2 billion loan guarantee from the UK government after a cyberattack halted production at its factories.

Officials said the support was essential to protect the thousands of third-party suppliers the car maker relies on. There's no such argument for Asahi, and the Japanese government rarely helps companies in these situations, so the dry spell looks set to continue. ®