Only a week after it revealed it was struck by a ransomware attack, Australian beverage giant Lion has once again been hit by a cyber-attack.
On Thursday, June 18, the Australian company told its employees via an all-staff meeting that the firm had been hit by a cyberattack, which “further disrupted its IT systems,” Sydney Morning Herald reported.
According to the news outlet, Lion CEO Stuart Irvine told employees that the company is working on strengthening its network defences, all while undoing the damage the first attack left on its systems.
The latest incident marked the second cyber attack that had hit Lion in a few days. Last week, Lion revealed its systems were struck by the REvil ransomware. At the time, hackers demanded a ransom of $1 million. The incident was reported to have caused disruption to the company’s manufacturing processes and customer service.
Previously, in a statement, Lion claimed there was no evidence that any information contained in their system has been compromised. However, the company soon retracted its statement following the discovery of a ransom note from the hackers, accompanied by screenshots of the files that were supposedly stolen from the company’s systems.
In the said note, hackers provided a five-day allowance for Lion to contact and pay them. Otherwise, the group threatened to publish or put the company’s data for auction.
"Given this development, our expert teams are doing all they can to investigate whether any data has been removed from our system," a spokesperson from Lion said.
"Unfortunately, based on the experience of others in this situation, it is possible this may have occurred."
"We’ve made contact with stakeholders as a precaution, as we believe this is the right thing to do," the spokesperson added.
In a press conference made on Friday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said companies and government offices across the country had been targeted in cyberattacks.
“This act is targeting Australian organisations across a range of sectors including all levels of government, industry, political organisations, education, health, essential service providers and operators of other critical infrastructure,” Morrison said.
“What I can confirm, with confidence, based on the advice, the technical advice that we have received, is that this is the action of a state-based actor with significant capabilities,” he continued.
To date, Lion claimed that while the latest attack had its impact on the business operations, the company is still brewing beer and manufacturing dairy and drinks products.
“While our service is still not at our expected levels, we are doing our very best to resume normal operations,” it added.
