Japan is running out of its favorite beer after ransomware attack

"According to cyber security experts at the Tokyo-based group Nihon Cyber Defence (NCD), Japanese companies are increasingly seen as attractive targets for ransomware attackers because of their poor defenses and the fact that many companies simply paid the demanded sum through back channels. In 2024 Japan's National Police Agency said it had received 222 official reports of ransomware attacks-a 12 percent rise from the previous year but experts at NCD said it represented just a small fraction of the real volume of attacks."

"In a survey conducted by the agency, Japanese companies said that in 49 percent of ransomware cases, it took at least a month to recover the data lost in the attack. Asahi said in a statement that there was no confirmed leakage of customer data to external parties. In a measure of growing public and private sector panic over cyber vulnerabilities, Japan passed a law in May that granted the government greater rights to proactively combat cyber criminals and state sponsored hackers."

Cyber security experts at Tokyo-based Nihon Cyber Defence report that Japanese firms are increasingly attractive targets for ransomware due to weak defenses and frequent off-channel ransom payments. In 2024, the National Police Agency received 222 official ransomware reports, a 12 percent rise, though experts say that undercounts total incidents. A survey found 49 percent of cases required at least a month to recover lost data. Asahi is investigating a suspected attack and reported no confirmed customer data leakage. Asahi postponed eight new product launches and trialled paper-based order and delivery processing. Japan enacted a law expanding government powers to combat cyber criminals and state-sponsored hackers.

Read at Ars Technica