Japan running dry: Ransomware attack leaves nation days away from Asahi beer shortage

Beer lovers will be sobbing into their pints at the news that a ransomware attack has brought Japan's largest brewer to its knees and left the country days away from running out of its most popular beverage.

Japan is reportedly facing an unprecedented shortage of the nation's most popular beer, Asahi Super Dry, following an announcement earlier this week that malicious hackers had forced Asahi Group Holdings to suspend production across nearly all of its domestic facilities.

The ransomware attack disabled the company's ordering and delivering systems, bringing production to a standstill at most of its 30 factories, and forced Asahi to announce the postponement of 12 new product launches.

Just days later, retailers are warning that Japan could run out of Super Dry, with some convenience store chains already posting notices about the impending shortages.

Other Asahi products, such as Mitsuya Cider soda, Nikka Whisky, and Seven Premium Clear Cooler, as well as non-alcoholic beverages, have also been suspended while the company attempts to recover from the ransomware attack.

Asahi's response to the cyber attack is not atypical - suspending order processing, shipments, and its call centres while it attempts to get systems up and running again.

On Wednesday, Asahi began to process orders for some products manually, visiting customers in person and handwriting orders but is understandably unable to manage the normal number of orders it would be receiving.

The company has emphasised that it has seen no evidence at this stage that personal information or customer data has leaked as a result of the attack, although the investigation continues.

Unfortunately for Asahi Super Dry's many devotees, there is currently no estimates as to when the brewer's normal operations will resume.

The scale of the problem - both commercially and to the people of Japan - cannot be underestimated. The country's population drinks an estimated 296.9 billion bottles of beer every year, that's approximately 54.4 large bottles per person.

Fortunately for consumers based outside of Japan, Asahi has confirmed that the cyber attack was limited to its Japanese operations, and beer manufactured overseas remains unaffected.

The ransomware attack on Asahi is the latest in a series of high-profile cyberattacks targeting major corporations. In recent months, Jaguar Land Rover was forced to suspend production following an August 31 attack. Meanwhile, UK retailers Marks & Spencer, Co-op, and Harrods have also suffered significant incidents, with M&S reporting a £300 million impact on its profits.

For businesses watching the Asahi crisis unfold, the key question is not "Could this happen to us?" Instead, it's "Will we be prepared when it does?"

The speed at which this attack paralysed one of the world's largest beverage companies should be a wake-up call to businesses in all industries. Ransomware gangs are targeting supply chains because they know the disruption increases the pressure to pay.

Don't wait until you are attacked to strengthen your defences, test your recovery procedures, and ensure that business continuity can be maintained. Do it now.