Ransomware
The Duvel Moortgat breweries in Belgium and the US have come to a complete standstill after a large-scale cyber attack in which ransomware was installed. According to Duvel, the supply of Duvel and other beers is not in danger for the time being.
Around half past one last night, the brewery’s built-in security system sounded the alarm. It then became clear that Duvel Moortgat had been hit by a ransomware attack. Cyber criminals installed malicious software to encrypt files. In such an attack, the affected company can regain access to its blocked computer networks in exchange for a ransom.
The hackers are said to have installed their malware on all servers of the four breweries in Belgium and those of subsidiary Boulevard Brewing in the United States. The attack on five of Duvel Moortgat’s thirteen production sites has halted production of Duvel and other Belgian beers, including De Koninck, Liefmans and La Chouffe.
No contact with criminals yet
An investigation into the source of the attack is ongoing. There will probably be more clarity in the coming hours and days once the criminals let Duvel Moortgat know how much ransom they are demanding. “But so far the cyber criminals have not contacted us,” says communications manager Ellen Aarts.
“At the production sites, the staff can still perform some remaining tasks for the time being, while the office staff works from home for the time being,” says Aarts. “The IT department is doing everything it can to restart the servers and the internet connection as quickly and safely as possible.”
According to the brewery, consumers should not panic for the time being. The stock of the affected beers is still sufficient to supply cafes and supermarkets.
900 cyber attacks
According to a recent study by cyber security firm Check Point Software, Belgian companies were targeted an average of 901 times by similar ransomware attacks in the first half of 2023. The demanded ransom often quickly reaches hundreds of thousands of euros and in some cases can even amount to millions.
In many cases, the same criminal groups are responsible for creating, distributing and executing that ransomware. Recently, Europol and the FBI rounded up the Russian-linked hacker gang Lockbit. In our country, it had, among other things, paralyzed the computer systems of the municipality of Geraardsbergen.
