Qilin ransomware claimed responsibility for the attack on the beer giant Asahi

Qilin ransomware claimed responsibility for the attack on the beer giant Asahi, with the incident disrupting operations in Japan. Asahi Group Holdings suspended operations at its Japanese branch at the end of September, after which other branches were not affected and manufacturing at subsidiaries resumed production and shipments gradually.

On 3 October, the company confirmed it had been a victim of a ransomware attack, stating that its servers were targeted and Emergency Response Headquarters were activated to investigate. According to Security Affairs, Qilin leaked 27GB of stolen data, including contracts, employee and financial documents, publishing 9,323 files and 29 photos on its Tor data leak site.

The article notes that Asahi later published an update confirming that data suspected to have been subject to unauthorized transfer had been identified on the internet, with notifications to affected parties to follow if the investigation confirms impact. Overall, the firm reported that its technologies assets in Japan were affected while elsewhere no indication of broader data or systems impact was observed.