Cyberattack Asahi Beer – Japan’s Largest Brewery

In September 2025, Asahi Group Holdings, Japan’s leading beer and beverage producer, fell victim to a cyberattack that has had extensive consequences for the company’s domestic operations. The attack resulted in a complete shutdown of the brewery’s order management, distribution, and customer service systems, with no timeline currently available for when production can resume.

Scope and Impact of the Attack

Asahi is Japan’s largest brewery with 30 production facilities in its home country alone, and the company accounts for approximately half of the group’s global revenue. The cyberattack on September 29, 2025, caused a system failure that triggered a halt across all Japanese operations, including order and delivery flows as well as customer service. The company’s call center has also been shut down until further notice.

Despite the severity of the attack, Asahi has officially stated that no confirmed data loss regarding customer or personal information has been reported. The company is continuously working to troubleshoot and restore systems but has been unable to provide any timeframe for when operations can resume.

International Operations Unaffected

It’s worth noting that Asahi Group’s operations outside Japan, including breweries in Europe, the United Kingdom, and Australia, have not been affected by the attack. This means that deliveries of global brands such as Grolsch, Peroni, and Pilsner Urquell, as well as Fuller’s (London) and Carlton & United Breweries (Australia), continue as normal.

What we know so far

To date, no known hacker group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and neither Asahi nor Japanese authorities have disclosed any information about the attackers methods or potential extortion demands. The attack displays the growing risks within the beverage and food industry – the sector has seen several similar incidents internationally over the past year, resulting in multi-million dollar losses.

What Does a Production Halt Potentially Cost?

Asahi Group Holdings reported annual revenue of ¥2.94 trillion ($19.6 billion USD) in fiscal 2024, with approximately 50% generated from Japanese operations. This translates to roughly $26.8 million in daily revenue at risk from the Japan-based operations that have been completely halted.

Potential Direct Revenue Losses:

1 week outage: $188 million
2 weeks outage: $376 million
1 month outage: $805 million

However, direct revenue loss tells only part of the story. Industry research shows that the total cost of cyberattacks typically ranges from 3 to 5 times the direct revenue losses when accounting for:

• Incident response and forensic investigation costs
• System recovery and restoration expenses
• Regulatory fines and compliance costs
• Customer churn and brand reputation damage
• Supply chain disruption penalties
• Emergency staffing and overtime

Total Estimated Impact:

1 week outage: $564 million to $940 million
1 month outage: $2.4 billion to $4.0 billion

How Ebuilder Can Help Protect Your Operations

We understand that the question isn’t whether your organization will be targeted – it’s when. The Asahi incident demonstrates that even industry giants with significant resources can fall victim to sophisticated cyberattacks. The difference between a minor security incident and a $2+ billion disaster often comes down to three critical factors: early detection, rapid response, and proactive vulnerability management.

Managed Detection and Response (MDR): 24/7 Security Operations Center

Our MDR service provides continuous monitoring and threat hunting across your entire infrastructure, including the critical OT systems that modern manufacturing relies on. Unlike traditional security solutions that simply alert you to problems, our MDR team actively investigates, contains, and neutralizes threats before they can disrupt operations.

Penetration Testing: Find Vulnerabilities Before Attackers Do

The attackers who targeted Asahi found a weakness in their defenses. Our comprehensive penetration testing services systematically identify and prioritize vulnerabilities across your infrastructure before malicious actors can exploit them.

The Cost of Waiting

• Asahi’s potential losses: $564 million to $4 billion

The question isn’t whether you can afford comprehensive cybersecurity – it’s whether you can afford to go without it. Every day without proper detection and response capabilities is a day you’re vulnerable to an incident that could cost more than your entire IT budget for a decade.

Take Action Today

Don’t wait for a cyberattack to expose vulnerabilities in your defenses. Contact Ebuilder today for a complimentary security assessment

References

BBC News. (2025) ‘Japanese brewing giant Asahi hit by cyber-attack.’ Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdjz7l1pxwgo (Accessed: 30 September 2025).

Cyberdaily. (2025) ‘Not the beer! Asahi discloses cyber attack.’ Available at: https://www.cyberdaily.au/security/12699-not-the-beer-asahi-discloses-cyber-attack (Accessed: 30 September 2025).

Hollingworth, D. (2025) ‘Asahi runs dry as online attackers take down Japanese ops.’ The Register, 29 September. Available at: https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/29/asahi_hacking_outage/ (Accessed: 30 September 2025).

Reuters. (2025) ‘Japan’s beer giant Asahi Group cannot resume production after cyberattack.’ Available at: https://www.reuters.com/technology/japans-beer-giant-asahi-group-cannot-resume-production-after-cyberattack-2025-09-30/ (Accessed: 30 September 2025).

The Star. (2025) ‘Japan’s beer giant Asahi Group cannot resume production after cyberattack.’ Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX0ZdXgrdnY (Accessed: 30 September 2025).

Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd. (2025) ‘Asahi Group Holdings FY2024 Financial Results.’ Available at: https://www.asahigroup-holdings.com/en/newsroom/detail/20250214-0201.html (Accessed: 30 September 2025).