Hackers halt production at Japan’s biggest brewer

By Chris Lau, Yumi Asada, CNN

(CNN) — Japan’s biggest beer maker Asahi Group says it has suspended orders and shipping services in the country after a cyberattack brought its production operations to a standstill.

Production at some of its 30 domestic factories remained suspended on Tuesday as the company continued to investigate how many plants had been affected, Reuters reported, citing the group’s spokesperson.

The company, behind Asahi Super Dry Beer and Nikka Whisky and a raft of non-alcoholic beverages, said it cannot foresee when production will resume, according to the news agency.

The attack first came to light on Monday, when Asahi released a statement saying its order and shipment operations at its Japan-based companies had been suspended, alongside its call center services, “due to the system failure.”

The group has not elaborated on the possibly identity of the attacker but said the cyberattack had not led to leakage of customer data

“We are actively investigating the cause and working to restore operations,” the company said in a statement Monday, adding that there was no estimated timeline for recovery. CNN has reached out to Asahi for comment.

Asahi – which means “morning sun” in Japanese – was founded in 1889, with founder Komakichi Torii bottling the first Asahi Draft Beer in in Japan in 1900.

It has grown to become one of the world’s largest drinks companies and owns international brands including Peroni, London Pride and Grolsch and several non-alcoholic beverage brands.

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