Security Magazine logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Security Magazine logo
  • NEWS
    • Security Newswire
    • Technologies & Solutions
  • MANAGEMENT
    • Leadership Management
    • Enterprise Services
    • Security Education & Training
    • Logical Security
    • Security & Business Resilience
    • Profiles in Excellence
  • PHYSICAL
    • Access Management
    • Fire & Life Safety
    • Identity Management
    • Physical Security
    • Video Surveillance
    • Case Studies (Physical)
  • CYBER
    • Cybersecurity News
    • More
  • BLOG
  • COLUMNS
    • Cyber Tactics
    • Leadership & Management
    • Security Talk
    • Career Intelligence
    • Leader to Leader
    • Cybersecurity Education & Training
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Annual Guarding Report
    • Most Influential People in Security
    • The Security Benchmark Report
    • The Security Leadership Issue
    • Top Guard and Security Officer Companies
    • Top Cybersecurity Leaders
    • Women in Security
  • SECTORS
    • Arenas / Stadiums / Leagues / Entertainment
    • Banking/Finance/Insurance
    • Construction, Real Estate, Property Management
    • Education: K-12
    • Education: University
    • Government: Federal, State and Local
    • Hospitality & Casinos
    • Hospitals & Medical Centers
    • Infrastructure:Electric,Gas & Water
    • Ports: Sea, Land, & Air
    • Retail/Restaurants/Convenience
    • Transportation/Logistics/Supply Chain/Distribution/ Warehousing
  • EVENTS
    • Industry Events
    • Webinars
    • Solutions by Sector
    • Security 500 Conference
  • MEDIA
    • Videos
      • Cybersecurity & Geopolitical Discussion
      • Ask Me Anything (AMA) Series
    • Podcasts
    • Polls
    • Photo Galleries
  • MORE
    • Call for Entries
    • Classifieds & Job Listings
    • Continuing Education
    • Newsletter
    • Sponsor Insights
    • Store
    • White Papers
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • This Month's Content
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
CybersecurityManagementSecurity NewswireTechnologies & SolutionsSecurity Leadership and ManagementLogical SecurityCybersecurity NewsTransportation/Logistics/Supply Chain/Distribution/ Warehousing

Molson Coors beer production disrupted after cyberattack

By Maria Henriquez
cyber security freepik
March 12, 2021

Molson Coors Beverage Company, a multinational drink and brewing company headquartered in Chicago in the United States, has suffered a cyberattack that has halted its beer-making production. 

In a regulatory filing, the company said, "Molson Coors experienced a systems outage that was caused by a cybersecurity incident," the company said in a statement. That systems outage led to a variety of issues for the company, including disruptions to "brewery operations, production, and shipments." 

From Coors Light, Miller Lite, Molson Canadian, Carling, and Staropramen to Coors Banquet, Blue Moon Belgian White, Blue Moon LightSky, Vizzy, Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy, Creemore Springs, Hop Valley, and more, Molson Coors produces many popular beer brands. It is unclear how much of the company's production has been disrupted by the cybersecurity attack.

In addition, Molson Coors said it is actively managing the cyberattack and has engaged leading forensic information technology firms and legal counsel to assist the investigation. The company is said to be working around the clock to get its systems back up as quickly as possible. 

Craig Lurey, CTO and Co-founder of Keeper Security, explains that this cyberattack on a major beverage company like Molson Coors shows just how ransomware attack can wreak havoc across an entire supply chain – impacting operations, production, and even shipment.

"As manufacturing has become increasing computer-driven, IT and OT networks have become interconnected, enabling cybercriminals to use IT systems as backdoors into OT networks, spreading across internal networks more easily. These facilities continue to be key targets threat actors who are seeking to steal valuable digital IP or manipulate controls – and ransomware is a fairly quick and easy way to do this," Lurey says. "In a case like this, educating the first line of defense, employees or plant operators on best practice around passwords and endpoint security across the entire data environment is crucial to avoid a situation like this in the future.”

Art Gilliland, CEO, Centrify, says this incident serves as yet another reminder for organizations to explore the mounting threats to their data and systems and review the security of their credentials. "As the threatscape continues to expand, organizations must realize the importance of securing all identities including humans, machines, services, APIs, etc., which often provide privileged access to sensitive data, and must take a layered approach to security."

To prevent cybersecurity incidents and outages like this from happening in the future, organizations should implement modern privileged access management (PAM) to reduce the risk of exposure, Gilliland says. "By leveraging existing enterprise identity infrastructure to enforce least privilege access for humans and machines, taking a Zero Trust authentication approach, and minimizing the use of shared accounts, organizations can provide a more granular level of access control while also increasing accountability and reducing the overall threatscape.”

Mohit Tiwari, Co-Founder and CEO at Symmetry Systems, a San Francisco, Calif.-based provider of Data Store and Object Security (DSOS), says, “Breaches often rely on static, legacy infrastructure to compromise. Organizations could consider moving workloads to the cloud quicker – and the expense might save them bigger costs due to data loss or service disruption later. Or, organizations could strongly consider working with specialists – such as MSSPs or MDR teams – and benefit from lessons across the community.”

KEYWORDS: cyber security information security risk management supply chain

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Maria Henriquez is a former Associate Editor of Security. She covered topics including cybersecurity and physical security, risk management and more.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
To unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Security's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024

    Security's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024

    Security magazine's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024 award...
    Cybersecurity
    By: Security Staff
  • cyber brain

    The intersection of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is a valuable cybersecurity...
    Logical Security
    By: Pam Nigro
  • artificial intelligence AI graphic

    Assessing the pros and cons of AI for cybersecurity

    Artificial intelligence (AI) has significant implications...
    Cybersecurity
    By: Charles Denyer
Subscribe For Free!
  • Security eNewsletter & Other eNews Alerts
  • eMagazine Subscriptions
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Online Registration
  • Mobile App
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Security audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Security or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Crisis Response Team
    Sponsored byEverbridge

    Automate or Fall Behind – Crisis Response at the Speed of Risk

  • Perimeter security
    Sponsored byAMAROK

    Why Property Security is the New Competitive Advantage

  • Duty of Care
    Sponsored byAMAROK

    Integrating Technology and Physical Security to Advance Duty of Care

Popular Stories

Pills spilled

More than 20,000 sensitive medical records exposed

Laptop in darkness

Verizon 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report shows rise in cyberattacks

Coding on screen

Research reveals mass scanning and exploitation campaigns

White post office truck

Department of Labor Sues USPS Over Texas Whistleblower Termination

Computer with binary code hovering nearby

Cyberattacks Targeting US Increased by 136%

2025 Security Benchmark banner

Events

May 22, 2025

Proactive Crisis Communication

Crisis doesn't wait for the right time - it strikes when least expected. Is your team prepared to communicate clearly and effectively when it matters most?

September 29, 2025

Global Security Exchange (GSX)

 

View All Submit An Event

Products

Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

See More Products

Related Articles

  • Toyota-unsplash-1170.jpg

    Toyota halts production after cyberattack on supplier

    See More
  • pipeline-freepik1170.jpg

    Oil and supply firms disrupted by cyberattack

    See More
  • agriculture-freepik1170x658v4.jpg

    AGCO's business operations disrupted by ransomware attack

    See More
×

Sign-up to receive top management & result-driven techniques in the industry.

Join over 20,000+ industry leaders who receive our premium content.

SIGN UP TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing