Introduction

Qilin ransomware attack against Kasapreko: Ghanaian beverage manufacturer compromised

The Qilin ransomware group has claimed responsibility for a major cyberattack against Kasapreko, a beverage manufacturer established in Ghana since 1989. This compromise, detected on December 6, 2025, exposes a key player in the West African Food & Beverage sector, employing between 500 and 1,000 people and generating an estimated $50 million in revenue. The incident, classified as SIGNAL level according to our XC-Classify protocol, represents a significant threat to a strategic industrial ecosystem in the region.

Analyse détaillée

The intrusion potentially compromises highly sensitive digital assets: proprietary formulas for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, regional distribution data, strategic financial information, and B2B customer databases. This attack illustrates the geographic expansion of ransomware campaigns, which are now targeting African industrial infrastructures, traditionally less exposed to the media than their Western counterparts. Blockchain certification of this incident via our XC-Audit protocol guarantees immutable traceability of this emerging threat.

Qilin: Modus Operandi, History, and Victims of the Ransomware Group

Qilin, also known as Agenda, operates according to the Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) model, which fragments responsibilities between the malware developers and affiliates in charge of operational deployment. This decentralized structure allows for remarkable scalability of attacks and significantly complicates technical attribution by incident response teams.

The cybercriminal collective favors a double extortion approach: encryption of target systems combined with the prior exfiltration of sensitive data. This tactic maximizes pressure on compromised organizations by simultaneously threatening their operational continuity and reputation through the potential release of confidential information. Negotiations generally take place via encrypted channels on the dark web, with ransom demands calibrated according to the victim's estimated financial capacity.

The malicious actor demonstrates advanced technical expertise in exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities and abusing compromised credentials as initial intrusion vectors. Analysis of previous campaigns reveals a predilection for Windows and Linux environments, with the ability to quickly adapt to deployed defenses. → Full analysis of the Qilin group

The group's operational trajectory reflects increasing professionalism since its emergence, with diversified sector targeting including manufacturers, financial services, and critical infrastructure. This attack against Kasapreko confirms the expansion of their reach into emerging African markets, historically less monitored by Western threat intelligence platforms.

Kasapreko: Company Profile - Food & Beverages (500-1000 employees) - GH

Since its founding in 1989, Kasapreko has established itself as a pillar of the West African beverage industry, developing a diverse portfolio of alcoholic and non-alcoholic products for local and regional markets. The Ghanaian company has built its reputation on proprietary formulations tailored to African taste preferences, representing strategic industrial expertise that is now potentially exposed.

With an estimated workforce of 500 to 1000 employees and annual revenue of $50 million, the organization is a significant employer in the Ghanaian economy. Its operational structure integrates production, logistics, distribution, and B2B marketing capabilities, requiring interconnected information systems—all potential attack surfaces for malicious actors.

Kasapreko's position within regional supply chains amplifies the potential impact of this breach beyond the directly targeted entity. Business relationships with distributors, retailers, and raw material suppliers create a risk of lateral spread if interconnected partner systems were used as attack hubs. → Other attacks in the Food & Beverages sector

The company's digital exposure through its website kasapreko.com and its business management platforms presents a prime intrusion vector for ransomware groups targeting the food and beverage industry. The nature of the digital assets—production formulas, financial data, and professional customer databases—represents significant market value on underground forums specializing in the trade of compromised industrial information.

Technical Analysis: Exposure Level

The incident is classified as SIGNAL level according to our XC-Classify methodology, indicating a public claim by the malicious actor without immediate release of technical evidence or samples of exfiltrated data. This status places the attack in a critical phase where negotiations between cybercriminals and the compromised organization will determine whether it escalates to a massive leak or is resolved discreetly.

The potentially exposed data encompasses several categories of strategic digital assets, based on available information. Proprietary beverage formulas represent irreplaceable intellectual property, the disclosure of which could directly benefit regional competitors. Distribution information reveals sales networks, operating margins, and market penetration strategies—highly valued intelligence in business intelligence.

The compromised financial data likely includes financial statements, budget projections, and B2B commercial contracts with distribution partners. The exposure of this sensitive information could affect future contract negotiations and investor confidence in the company's digital governance. Business customer databases also represent a risk of targeted phishing attacks against Kasapreko's business partners.

The precise timeline of the intrusion remains to be established, but analyses of previous Qilin campaigns suggest a reconnaissance and persistence phase typically lasting several weeks before the encryption payload is deployed. The detection on December 6, 2025, likely corresponds to the public claim phase rather than the initial compromise, implying a potentially extended exfiltration window.

The absence of a formally communicated NIST score at this stage reflects the preliminary nature of the technical investigations. However, the available metadata suggests a significant impact, warranting urgent mobilization of incident response teams and the relevant Ghanaian regulatory authorities responsible for the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure.

Impact on the Food & Beverages Sector: Risks and Regulation in Ghana

The Food & Beverages sector presents specific vulnerabilities related to the increasing interconnectedness of production, logistics, and distribution chains. SCADA systems controlling manufacturing processes, inventory management platforms, and B2B ordering interfaces create a complex digital ecosystem where a single breach can simultaneously paralyze production and sales.

In Ghana, the cybersecurity regulatory framework is based on the Cybersecurity Act of 2020, which mandates notification to the relevant authorities in the event of an incident affecting sensitive infrastructure or data. The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) of Ghana is the supervisory body authorized to coordinate the national response to large-scale cyber threats. Kasapreko will likely need to formally document the incident with this regulatory body.

Although Ghana is not directly subject to the European GDPR, exporting companies processing data of EU citizens must comply with personal data protection requirements. The 72-hour notification obligation applies if the personal information of EU nationals—expatriate employees, business partners—has been compromised during the intrusion.

Conclusion

Past incidents in the African agri-food sector demonstrate the risk of a chain reaction when a major player is compromised. Raw material suppliers, regional distributors, and logistics partners interconnected via EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) platforms can serve as vectors for lateral propagation if attackers have established persistence in shared systems. → Understanding XC Criticality Levels