Sentaku is a monthly journal published in Japan by Sentaku Shuppan in Tokyo, focusing on domestic and international affairs, especially behind-the-scenes reports on politics, policy coordination, economics and finance. In this month’s issue, CYFIRMA Founder and CEO Kumar Ritesh, shared an op-ed where he warns that cyberattacks are among the gravest corporate crises of our time. The case in point being the recent ransomware assault on Asahi Group Holdings which goes to show how digital transformation widens attack surfaces across interconnected systems, factories, and supply chains, and how all can fall in a single strike. Ritesh notes that ransomware incidents in the food & beverage sector surged over 100% globally in 2025, underscoring how attackers now plan with precision and intent.
Here’s the full article translated from Japanese:
SENTAKU magazine 2025.11 Issue
Column by Kumar Ritesh
You could confidently say that cyberattacks are among the most serious threats to modern corporate crisis management.
I have firsthand experience leading operations on the front lines of cyber warfare with other nations during my time at MI5 (the Security Service) and MI6 (the Secret Intelligence Service). For instance, Russia has long posed a cyber threat to the United Kingdom. After leaving government service, I moved into the private sector, where I have applied intelligence gathered from cyberspace to develop security software focused on threat management.
From that perspective, private companies are now fully entangled in a global “cyber war.”
On September 29, 2025, Japan’s major beverage producer Asahi Group Holdings fell victim to a ransomware attack. Its servers were encrypted, halting order, shipping, and customer response systems at domestic subsidiaries and forcing production to stop at most of its 30 domestic plants.
On October 7, the Russia-based cybercrime group Qilin claimed responsibility, releasing some of the stolen internal data and private personal information of employees.
The Asahi case is just one example of the devastating cyberattacks that have become increasingly frequent in Japan. Large corporations have recently begun allocating significant budgets to cybersecurity, yet many still fall victim. Why did one of Japan’s largest beverage conglomerates suffer such a severe ransomware incident?
In reality, the larger an organization becomes, the wider its attack surface grows. Giants like Asahi depend on interconnected digital systems for efficiency—automated supply chains, real-time inventory management, and global ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) networks. The attackers targeted these servers, spreading ransomware that paralyzed factory production lines and logistics.
Japan also faces unique circumstances. As the country accelerates digital transformation (DX), internal systems become increasingly integrated and expansive. When a single attack surface is compromised, it can trigger a company-wide shutdown. The damage rapidly spreads across factories and affiliated entities, and prolonged downtime amplifies financial losses to a catastrophic degree.
From my continuous analysis of global cyber trends—including Japan—I can say that, in 2025, ransomware incidents in the food and beverage sector have surged by over 100% year-on-year worldwide. This demonstrates that digital transformation expands attack surfaces, and Japan must remain on alert.
Today’s new generation of cybercriminals no longer rely on generic tools; they conduct detailed reconnaissance and plan operations methodically. Therefore, understanding the attackers’ tools and motives—and visualizing how and to what extent they can impact your organization’s attack surface through proper threat management—plays a critical role in preventing breaches.
As seen in Asahi’s case, OT (Operational Technology) systems used in factories are also prime targets. Companies must identify known vulnerabilities and apply fixes or updates quickly. For older legacy equipment that cannot be updated, virtual patches or compensating controls should be considered.
In state-of-the-art operations, threat management integrates attack surface intelligence, enabling manufacturers to anticipate emerging risks. Without such measures, any company could find itself in a crisis like Asahi’s—perhaps as soon as tomorrow.
#Cybersecurity #Ransomware #ThreatIntelligence #DigitalTransformation #CYFIRMA #Japan #Asahi
