Details of 1.5m customers leaked in Asahi cyberattack
Japan’s Asahi Group aims to normalize its logistics operations by February after a cyberattack in late September forced widespread suspensions, but not all products will be ready for shipment by then.
The beverage maker, known for its flagship Super Dry beer, also said personal information of 1.52 million customers may have been leaked in the September 29 attack.
Asahi said Thursday that information on 114,000 individuals and 275,000 current and former employees and their families may also have been compromised, none of which was posted online.
The attack caused widespread disruptions in areas such as order processing, shipping and call centers, making Asahi the latest victim among companies targeted by hackers around the world.
In early 2025, carmaker Jaguar Land Rover was forced to close factories, while retailer Marks and Spencer was also forced to suspend online orders.
Asahi said it was delaying the July-September earnings release scheduled for Nov. 12 to 50 days after the end of the quarter, extending the postponement to 45 days.
“We cannot avoid predicting a deterioration in our results, but our medium- and long-term management plan has not changed,” CEO Atsushi Katsuki said at a news conference in Tokyo.
The outage resulted in a shortage of Asahi beverages in restaurants, bars and stores across Japan.
The beverage maker restarted production at six local factories in the week following the attack.
Asahi said October sales of its three main domestic beverage and food units were down 10 percent to 40 percent compared to the same month last year.
On October 9, ransomware group Qilin claimed to have carried out the attack.
CEO Katsuki said Thursday that Asahi did not pay any ransom.
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