Japanese brewing giant Asahi aims to restore its systems after a major cyberattack that disrupted its operations by February, media reports said on Friday.The maker of Asahi Super Dry, one of Japan’s most popular beers, started experiencing system troubles on September 29, stopping its ability to receive orders and to ship products. It has blamed a ransomware attack.The brewer has informed its business partners of plans to return to normal product orders and shipments as early as February, public broadcaster NHK reported, citing unnamed sources.A source familiar with the issue, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said that “the company is explaining to its business partners it aims to restore the system in February.”Asahi plans to hold a press conference next week to explain the cyberattack’s impact on business and to what extent personal information was leaked, and to share information about restoring its systems, NHK said.The business daily Nikkei reported similar details.Output at Asahi’s 30 domestic factories was not directly affected by the system shutdown but production had to stop due to the company-wide problem.The brewer said early last month production at six beer factories resumed, while it was processing orders by hand in an effort to swerve potential drinks shortages.
