TOKYO: Japanese retailer Muji has suspended its domestic online shopping service following a ransomware attack on its delivery partner.
The company announced the suspension on Monday, marking another major cyber incident in Japan following the ongoing attack on brewing giant Asahi.
Ryohin Keikaku, Muji’s parent company, stated it halted order processing and shipping operations from Sunday evening.
“This suspension is due to a system failure caused by ransomware infection at Askul,“ the company said, referring to its online shopping delivery partner.
“We are working with Askul to restore operations, but the resumption date remains undetermined at this time,“ the statement added.
Askul confirmed it is investigating the scope of impact, including potential links to personal information or customer data.
The delivery partner’s Sunday statement provided no information about the attack’s perpetrator or their demands.
Ryohin Keikaku shares fell 2.5% in afternoon trade after dropping more than 6% earlier, while Askul’s shares lost more than 5%.
The incident follows Asahi’s system troubles that began on September 29 and continue to affect operations.
Asahi confirmed its order processing and shipping systems remain suspended, though it is manually processing some orders.
The beer maker has resumed operations at its six domestic factories despite the ongoing cyber issues.
Asahi postponed its financial results release originally scheduled for November 12.
Hacker group Qilin, believed to be Russia-based, issued a statement that Japanese media interpreted as claiming responsibility for the Asahi attack. – AFP
