Temporary beer shortages have resulted from last week’s cyber attack on Lion, as the brewer continues to work to bring its systems safely back online.
The brewer experienced a partial IT system outage last week following a ransomware attack.
Lion’s IT teams and expert cyber advisors worked throughout the weekend on the issue and have made “good progress”.
“However, there is still some way to go before we can resume our normal manufacturing operations and customer service,” Lion said.
Current impact on Lion’s operations
Across Lion’s Australian and New Zealand adult beverages businesses, the brewer continues to have limited visibility of its products in its systems.
“We’re working to bring our breweries back online as soon as possible, hoping to get a number of our breweries back up and running very soon,” Lion said.
“We apologise to our consumers and customers, especially those who are only just getting their own venues back up and running following COVID-19 closures. We thank them for their patience as we do everything we can to get back to normal supply levels.”
The latest impacts include a number of temporary beer shortages or out-of-stocks across both packaged (bottle/can) and keg brands.
“While our systems are offline, we have worked very hard to be able to supply a limited number of key products to our customers,” Lion explained.
“We will continue to accept and fulfil orders as best we can, using interim manual processes where we need to.”
Update on recovery efforts
Lion said the restoration process is taking time, but noted: “It’s important that we do this methodically and safely as we work to resume normal business operations.
“There remains no evidence that any of the information contained in our system (including financial or personal information) has been affected. This is something that we will continue to review closely as part of our ongoing investigations.
“We have notified the authorities of the incident; and we will work alongside the relevant government authorities, law enforcement agencies and privacy regulators, as required.
“We would also like to take this opportunity to remind everyone to be vigilant about cyber safety, particularly in terms of telephone, SMS, email and social media phishing scams requesting personal information or payment of money. It’s advisable to avoid opening attachments from unknown senders and ensure that any communications are legitimate before responding.”
