TOKYO, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Japanese food and beverage giant Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. said Thursday that an investigation has found that personal information linked to around 2 million customers and employees may have been leaked in a recent cyberattack.
Asahi Group disclosed the findings of an internal probe at a press conference, its first since the attack hit its domestic servers on Sept. 29, stating that the attacker gained unauthorized access to the data center network through network equipment located at a group company site.
The company said that the data could have included the names, gender, home addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of workers and customers, adding that it has reported its findings to the government's commission on personal information protection.
Acknowledging the "weakness" of its security, Asahi President Atsushi Katsuki said, "I painfully feel the responsibility of management" about the breach that forced a widespread suspension of company operations.
Katsuki said the company expects to resume orders and shipments, currently being handled manually, from December once the system is restored, and aims to have these logistics operations normalized by February.
Asahi has postponed releasing its earnings results for January to September, initially scheduled for Nov. 12. ■
