- Asahi was hit by ransomware attack exposing data of over 1.5 million individuals
- Attackers accessed servers and PCs, stealing personal information from customer service contacts
- Ransomware group Qilin claimed responsibility, adding Asahi to its dark web leak site
Japanese beer maker Asahi has confirmed it was struck with ransomware, and that the attackers most likely stole personal information on more than 1.5 million people.
In an announcement published on the company’s website, Asahi said that it spotted the intrusion on September 29, and that the attackers accessed the network through “equipment located at our Group’s site”.
The attackers deployed the encryptor on multiple servers and some connected PCs, but not before stealing data from company-issued PCs provided to certain employees.
Qilin takes the blame
“There is a possibility that personal information stored on servers in the data center may have been exposed,” the announcement reads. “We have not confirmed any instance of this data being published on the internet.”
“The impact of the attack on our systems is limited to those managed in Japan.”
Asahi is yet to confirm the nature of the files that were taken, but they most likely include names, gender data, postal addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of those who contacted the Customer Service Centers of Asahi Breweries, Asahi Soft Drinks, and Asahi Group Foods – approximately 1,525,000 people.
An additional 300,000 people such as external contacts, employees, and employee family members, may have had some of this data exposed, as well.
There is no evidence of the data being misused online, Asahi said.
However, the BBC reports that ransomware operators known as Qilin already claimed responsibility for the attack, adding Asahi to their dark web data leak website.
This group has been particularly active in these past couple of months, recently also adding IGT, a global powerhouse in gambling technology, to its list of victims, and before that – in August 2025 – it struck Nissan Creative Box, the creative arm of the Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer.
Via BBC
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