KFC may be forced to close some stores after cyber attack on key supplier

Nichirei Co confirms cyber attack disrupting cold storage and frozen food logistics affecting customers including KFC Japan
KFC warned of delivery delays leading to possible menu restrictions, shortened opening hours or temporary suspension of online orders
No data leaks or attacker claims have surfaced; outages suggest ransomware, but both companies expect operations to return to normal by the end of the week

Nichirei Co, a major Japanese company that produces frozen and processed foods and operates cold chain logistics to distribute them across the country, has confirmed that it has suffered a cyber attack that affected some of its customers, including KFC.

The company confirmed the news in a statement saying, “Today, Nichirei Co experienced a system failure caused by unauthorized access.”

Nichirei said it is currently investigating the incident, but that there is no indication that personal or customer data is leaking outside the company. However, due to the nature of the incident (which has not been explained in detail), several operations have been affected, including cold store inbound/outbound operations and frozen food.

No claims yet

These disruptions affected, among others, KFC – one of the largest fast food chains in the world. In a separate announcement, KFC said a system failure at Nichirei Logistics Group, which occurred on July 13, affected the company’s logistics and delivery locations. “From Tuesday 14 July 2026, food delivery to KFC stores is expected to be affected,” it said.

“As a result, each store may suspend operations depending on some products being out of stock, menu restrictions, reduced hours or ingredient availability. In addition, online orders from the official app and website have also been temporarily suspended.”

The nature of the attack or the identity of the attackers was not disclosed. Since Nichirei had to shut down some of its services, it could mean that this was a ransomware attack and that some company data was stolen after all. The Register reports that KFC Japan has not released information about store closings and continues to promote summer menu items.

At press time, no threat actors claimed responsibility for the attacks, and no Nichirei/KFC data appeared on the dark web. The companies expect to resume normal operations by the end of the week.

Via The register