Cyberattack takes Molson Coors' brewing operations offline

Molson Coors
(Image credit: Molson Coors)

The brewing giant Molson Coors has been hit with a cyberattack that caused significant disruptions to its brewing operations.

Molson Coors is the world's fifth largest brewer and in addition to Molson and Coors the company is responsible for many iconic beer brands including Blue Moon, Foster's, Miller, Peroni, Pilsner Urquell, Grolsch and countless others.

The company recently filed a Form-8K with the SEC in which it disclosed that it had fallen victim to a cyberattack, saying:

"On March 11, 2021, Molson Coors Beverage Company (the “Company”) announced that it experienced a systems outage that was caused by a cybersecurity incident. The Company has engaged leading forensic information technology firms and legal counsel to assist the Company’s investigation into the incident and the Company is working around the clock to get its systems back up as quickly as possible.”

Possible ransomware attack

Molson Coors is currently investigating the situation to find out what caused the cyberattack though it also disclosed that the incident may “cause a delay or disruption to parts of the company's business including its brewery operations, production and shipments”.

According to multiple sources in the cybersecurity industry that spoke with BleepingComputer, the company allegedly suffered a ransomware attack but at this time it still unclear as to which group of cybercriminals is responsible.

This isn't the first time that a ransomware attack has disrupted a brewery's operations as back in June of last year, Australia's beverage giant Lion also fell victim to a similar attack that led it to take all of its operations offline.

Via BleepingComputer

Anthony Spadafora

After working with the TechRadar Pro team for the last several years, Anthony is now the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. When not writing, you can find him tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.