Data linked to 2 million people feared leaked in cyber attack, says beverage giant Asahi

TOKYO – Japanese beverage giant Asahi Group Holdings said on Nov 27 an investigation has found that personal information linked to around two million customers and employees may have been leaked in a cyber attack that hit its domestic servers in late September.

“I painfully feel the responsibility of management” with regard to the cyber attack, said Asahi president Atsushi Katsuki at its first press conference since the maker of Asahi Super Dry beers was hit by a system failure on Sept 29, acknowledging the “weakness” of its security.

The disruption at Asahi has affected rival beverage makers, with Sapporo Breweries pausing sales of beer sets, customary year-end presents in Japan, as it has been unable to meet a greater-than-anticipated increase in orders.

Some restaurants that usually provide Asahi beers have also been forced to change brands ahead of year-end parties.

Mr Katsuki said the company expects to resume orders and shipments, currently being handled manually, from December once the system is restored, with the normalisation of logistics operations eyed by February.

The personal information that has or may have been leaked includes the names, gender, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of 1.53 million individuals who contacted the customer service centres of Asahi Breweries, Asahi Soft Drinks and Asahi Group Foods.

The investigation revealed that the attacker gained unauthorised access to the data centre network through network equipment located at a group company site, Asahi said.

The company added that it is taking preventive measures, including redesigning communication routes and network controls, and enhancing its security monitoring system.

Mr Katsuki said a negative impact on earnings “cannot be prevented”.

Shipping volumes remain reduced, with orders being taken by telephone and fax. Asahi has also postponed releasing its earnings results for January to September, initially scheduled for Nov 12.

By prioritising orders for its core products, such as Asahi Super Dry beers, as well as those in high demand, including infant formula and baby food, Asahi said it had managed to limit the damage to revenues.

The company said the impact on beer sales in October was limited to a 10 per cent decline from a year earlier, while soft drink revenue fell 40 per cent and food sales dropped 30 per cent.

A hacker group named Qilin claimed responsibility for the cyber attack on Asahi Group, saying in a post on the dark web that it had stolen employee information and internal documents, according to a cyber-security source.

Asahi said that while the attack had affected its systems in Japan, no impact overseas has been confirmed.

The cyber attack used ransomware, a type of malicious software that encrypts data and renders it inaccessible until a ransom is paid, but Mr Katsuki denied Asahi had made any payment.

Japanese online retailer Askul was also hit by a cyber attack in October that severely disrupted its operations, with a hacker group called Ransomhouse claiming responsibility. KYODO NEWS