Ron Howells
BEER production at Barcelona’s Damm brewery was brought to a standstill earlier this week after cyber hackers penetrated the companies network.
Damm is Spain’s second-biggest beer maker, output at its main brewery just outside Barcelona was halted after a cyber attack hit its computer systems earlier this week, a spokesperson said on Friday, November 12. The cyberattack attack struck the brewery on Tuesday night, November 9, and for at least a few hours the plant in El Prat de Llobregat, which produces a staggering 7 million hectolitres of beer a year, was “entirely paralysed”, said the head of communications for Damm, Olga Vidal, adding:
“IT services made possible a partial resumption of production and we expect to operate at 100% in the coming hours,” she said.
She declined to say whether the hackers had demanded a ransom from the company or whether the maker of Estrella Damm lager had paid anything to the perpetrators of the attack. Vidal would also not confirm whether the company had notified the police- local police too declined to comment. Damm bottles several other beer brands besides its iconic Estrella Damm. Vidal said that the company has honoured all deliveries to bars, restaurants and supermarkets thanks to sufficient stocks.
A European Union report released in October found the COVID-19 pandemic and rise of home working had created opportunities for cyber-criminals to flourish and led to a proliferation of so-called hackers for hire. Last month, Barcelona University was hit by a ransomware attack, while earlier this year hackers disabled several services at Spain’s employment agency.
A short history of Damm beer
In 1872, the Alsatian August Künzmann Damm emigrated with his wife to Spain and founded his own brewery in 1876 in Barcelona. He created a very light beer, adapted to the Mediterranean climate and food. The popularity soon extended to the whole of Spain. Today Estrella Damm is the best-known Spanish beer brand.
The latest beer creation by Estrella Damm is the Inedit brand, which was developed in collaboration with star chefs and wine experts. Inedit, made of barley malt and wheat, is refined with spices such as orange peel, liquorice and cilantro. It was created for upscale gastronomy and is drunk from white wine glasses.
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