Qilin takes responsibility of Asahi Group Holdings data breach forcing shutdown

Cybercriminal group Qilin has claimed responsibility for a recent cyberattack on Asahi Group Holdings, which temporarily halted the company’s operations, including orders, deliveries, and customer service. Asahi has not confirmed the group’s claim, but the timing coincides with the company’s recovery efforts following a major system disruption.

The Japanese beverage producer reported on September 29 that it had been forced to suspend domestic operations after its ordering and shipping systems were taken offline by a cyber incident. Days later, Asahi acknowledged that ransomware was behind the breach and that some internal data may have been accessed.

According to cybersecurity researchers at Comparitech, Qilin has now added Asahi to its data leak portal, alleging the theft of 27 gigabytes of company data. The stolen files reportedly include financial information, contracts, internal business plans, and personal details of employees.