A cyberattack has temporarily disrupted the operations of Asahi Group Holdings, Japan’s largest brewing company. The Qilin ransomware group has taken responsibility for the breach. The attack, which began in late September, caused the company to suspend its Japanese operations, impacting its ordering, shipping, and customer service departments. While the company initially confirmed the attack without naming the perpetrator, Qilin later claimed responsibility and began to leak stolen data online. Asahi has since confirmed that some of its data has been compromised and is investigating the full scope of the breach.
The Qilin group has published 29 photos of stolen documents and leaked 27GB of data on its Tor site, which includes a total of 9,323 files. The stolen information is reportedly comprised of sensitive contracts, as well as employee, financial, and business data. Asahi Group Holdings has initiated an investigation to determine the nature and scope of the information that was illicitly transferred. The company has stated that if any sensitive data was confirmed to have been compromised, the affected individuals will be notified promptly.
The attack was confined to Asahi’s Japanese technology assets, and the company has stated that there is no indication that other branches or systems were affected. Asahi has formed an Emergency Response Headquarters to manage the investigation and recovery efforts. The company’s Japanese subsidiaries have since resumed full or partial production, and product shipments have recommenced.
Qilin ransomware claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on Japanese beverage giant Asahi, stealing and leaking 27GB of data, including employee and financial documents, which temporarily disrupted the company’s operations in Japan. Asahi has since confirmed that the stolen data was found online and is investigating the full extent of the breach.
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