Lion has said it is continuing to make progress in getting systems and facilities restored and back online following the cyber attack which caused a partial IT outage.
All nine of Lion’s major breweries across Australia and New Zealand are back online and are brewing, kegging, packaging and distributing beer, although the brewer did caution that it is still expecting to endure some further disruptions.
Speaking about the company’s progress following the attack, a spokesperson for Lion said: “Across many parts of our business customers are once again able to place orders and view their invoices online. We are working hard to get all of our customer ordering platforms operational as soon as possible and we thank our customers for their patience during this very challenging period.
“Despite this progress, we do still expect to see some further disruptions as we continue to restore systems. We will continue to work with our team of experts to complete this work as quickly as possible, minimising any further disruptions, including to supply.
“The timing of this attack – just as the hospitality industry is trying to get back on its feet post COVID-19 closures – could not have been more challenging for Lion and our industry partners.”
The brewer said it is still investigating the full impact of the cyber attack including the possibility of a data breach that has seen data stolen.
The spokesperson said: “To date, we still do not have evidence of any data being removed. As we indicated last week, it remains a real possibility that data held on our systems may be disclosed in the future. Unfortunately, this is consistent with these types of ransomware attacks.
“Our expert teams are continuing to do all they can to investigate this further and as previously stated, if we do identify any cases of data being taken or misused, Lion will contact the affected individuals directly.
“Our dedicated cyber help line remains open 24 hours, 7 days a week, and we encourage any Lion stakeholders that may have questions or concerns about the cyber attack to use this service.”
Those helpline numbers are Australia – 1800 316 512; New Zealand – 0800 623 367 and International – +61 3 8597 7266.