Australian beverage giant Lion has revealed details of a security incident, confirming that it has been hit by a ransomware attack. Specifically, it said in a statement that its investigations so far have shown that the outage was caused by a ransomware attack targeting its information systems. For this reason, it immediately shut down its key systems as a precautionary measure. Lion said that its IT teams and cybersecurity are working around the clock to investigate the issue and assess how long the impact of the attack. The company is focused on getting its systems back online safely so that it can continue business in terms of its structure and customer service. Of course, this is a process that takes time, as the company said, but it is necessary.
Lion, formerly Lion Nathan, said it had hoped for a quicker recovery, but that was not possible. It also said there was no evidence that any of the information contained in its system, including financial or personal information, was affected, but it would review the issue as investigations continue.
On June 9, Lion announced that it had shut down its IT systems as a precaution due to a ransomware attack. Last Friday, it said that throughout the COVID-19 pandemic , it had managed to safely continue brewing beer, that it had stockpiles and that it was preparing to increase production of the drink. But the ransomware attack has delayed those plans, and its products are not visible to potential customers. The company is working to get its breweries back online as soon as possible. It will also manage its inventory, which can experience temporary shortages. The company, which also produces and distributes milk and other dairy products such as yogurt, as well as juice and soy, said that some parts of its Dairy & Drinks customer service continue to be affected, with some of its production sites offline . It also added that due to the nature of fresh dairy and juice products, it is experiencing some service losses across its customer channels . However, it continues to make efforts to meet customer demand and have people working with customers to assist with orders and deliveries.
Lion also said its total economic contribution to the economies of Australia and New Zealand is approximately $5.3 billion, employing approximately 6,700 people, and has 45 sites across the region.
The warning about potential shortages comes as Australians slowly return to pubs, restaurants and clubs, following the easing of COVID-19 lockdown measures.
