Lion cyber attack
Lion is currently working with cyber experts to determine the impact of the cyber attack. Credit: Moritz Mentges on Unsplash.

Australian beverage maker Lion has confirmed that it has been hit by a cyber attack and had to shut down its operational and manufacturing systems briefly.

The company in its press statement said that it is working with cyber experts to determine how much longer the systems will be impacted.

The statement read: “We have teams working around the clock to bring our systems back online safely. Again, we apologise for the inconvenience this has caused our suppliers, customers and our broader supply chain. We appreciate your patience and support during this challenging time.

“This attack could not have come at a worse time for Lion, particularly for our valued pub and club customers who are in the very early stages of recovery following the Covid-19 closures. They are in the early stages of rebuilding, restocking and reengaging their staff.”

The company added that it made substantial progress in terms of diagnosis and recovery planning over the last 24 hours.

In order to take orders and then ship products, the Australian beverage makers introduced a number of manual systems.

“We recognise that this is not perfect and it is impacting our customers. We are doing everything possible under the circumstances,” the company added.

Lion continued to brew beer throughout the Covid-19 shutdown period, catering to customer demand. The company noted that the cyberattack has impacted significant aspects of the brewing process.

“We operate multiple large-scale breweries, which are heavily reliant on IT infrastructure,” it said.

Lion, which also has footprints in New Zealand, is a subsidiary of the Japanese beverage giant Kirin.