Asahi Group Holdings is considering significant changes in its cybersecurity posture, just three months after it was hit by a ransomware attack.
The Japanese brewing giant’s CEO, Atsushi Katsuki, told Bloomberg on December 15 he has decided to elevate cybersecurity to a top management priority and is considering the creation of a dedicated cybersecurity unit within the group.
This decision follows a ransomware attack in September that exposed the personal data of two million people, including 1.5 million Asahi customers, and forced operational disruptions that may last at least until February 2026.
The attack, claimed by the ransomware group Qilin, hit Asahi’s main systems, encrypting live servers and infected employee devices on the network. It disrupted key business operations in Japan, forcing the company to temporarily halt automated order and shipping processes.
“We thought we had taken sufficient measures, but they were easily broken,” Katsuki admitted during a filmed interview with Bloomberg.
As part of its recovery plan, which Katsuki expects to run until February, Asahi Group Holdings is scrapping the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) and is adopting a stricter zero-trust model, which assumes no user or device inside the network can be automatically trusted.
He also said that the company should shift to a “reconstruction phase” after February.
“We are committed not just to restoring our shipments to past levels but to exceeding them,” Katsuki added.
The first financial consequences of the cyber-attack are now public, with Asahi Group Holdings recording a 20% year-on-year drop in alcohol sales in Japan in November 2025.
Due to the system disruption caused by the cyber-attack that occurred on September 29, Asahi Group Holdings has postponed the disclosure of sales performance for its operating
The company has refrained from releasing monthly sales data by category and brand due to the ongoing effects of the cyber-attack on its systems. November marks the third consecutive month it has skipped such disclosures, citing difficulties in accurately compiling the figures.
