Asahi aims to restore logistics by February following cyberattack

Japan's Asahi Group has set a goal to restore its logistical operations to normalcy by February next year, following a significant cyberattack that occurred in late September. This attack severely disrupted multiple aspects of their supply chain, leading to a widespread suspension of shipping and order processing. However, Asahi has cautioned that not all products will be ready for shipment by the targeted time frame. The beverage giant, best known for its flagship Super Dry beer, revealed that the personal information of approximately 1.52 million customers could have been compromised during the cyber intrusion. In addition to customer data, sensitive information related to 114,000 contacts as well as 275,000 current and former employees and their families might have been exposed. Despite this, Asahi affirmed that none of this data has surfaced publicly online. The cyberattack triggered outages across critical operational sectors, including order processing, shipping, and call centers. This incident positioned Asahi among a growing number of global companies targeted by hackers, with similar incidents earlier this year affecting notable firms like Jaguar Land Rover, which had to halt factory operations, and Marks and Spencer, which suspended online orders. As a consequence of the disruption, Asahi postponed the release of its full-year earnings to more than 50 days after the closing of its financial year, which ends on December 31, 2025. The company had also delayed the publication of its third-quarter earnings, initially scheduled for November 12, pushing it to over 45 days after the quarter's end on September 30. At a press briefing in Tokyo, CEO Atsushi Katsuki acknowledged that the company anticipates a decline in its financial results but maintained that their mid-to-long-term management strategy remains unchanged. The operational impact extended to the market level, where Asahi’s beverages became scarce in Japanese restaurants, bars, and retail stores. Nonetheless, the company managed to resume production at six domestic factories within the week following the cyberattack. Despite resuming manufacturing, October sales for Asahi’s three main domestic beverage and food divisions reported a decrease ranging from 10 percent to as much as 40 percent when compared with the same month in the previous year. The ransomware group Qilin publicly claimed responsibility for the attack on October 9. CEO Katsuki also confirmed that Asahi has refused to pay any ransom demanded by the attackers. The group continues to work towards restoring normal operations while addressing security vulnerabilities exposed by the incident. The attack not only disrupted supply chains but also highlighted the growing cybersecurity risks faced by major corporations worldwide.