Japanese beverage giant Asahi Group Holdings said Friday that its operations have remained disrupted for five consecutive days following a cyberattack earlier this week, with reports of shortages of its popular beer and other drinks emerging in some stores.
The company said its computer systems were hit on Monday, causing glitches that affected orders, shipments, and a customer call center in Japan. Overseas operations were not impacted.
A company spokeswoman, speaking on condition of anonymity as is customary for Japanese firms, said the problem had yet to be resolved. While some emergency shipments were made Wednesday, employees have been forced to manually enter data into systems.
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Japanese media reported that convenience stores were facing delivery delays, with some shelves running low or selling out of Asahi products. A 7-Eleven outlet in Tokyo still had stocks on Friday evening but expected shortages soon.
Asahi has canceled promotional events and postponed product launches amid the disruption. Some media reports suggested ransomware could be behind the attack, but the company declined to comment on the cause or motive.
Founded in 1949, Tokyo-based Asahi produces the globally popular Super Dry beer, as well as cider, juices, candy, baby food and other products.
Source: AP