Coca-Cola's dairy brand Fairlife [AP/Yonhap News file photo]

Atlanta-based Coca-Cola has halted its dairy production in the United States following a hacking incident, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) reported on the 23rd (local time).

According to the report, a ransomware group called "Anubis" claimed on the dark web that day to have hacked the servers of Fairlife, a dairy brand owned by Coca-Cola. The group threatened to release 1 terabyte of confidential data if their demands are not met by the 27th.

Previously, Coca-Cola headquarters announced that it would suspend operations at its U.S. Fairlife plants starting on the 16th due to the hack. In an official statement, Coca-Cola said, "An unauthorized third party has gained access to our internal systems, and we are currently investigating the full extent of the damage."

Coca-Cola acquired the milk and dairy specialty brand Fairlife in 2020. The company added that production in the Canadian region remains unaffected by this hacking incident.

Ramnath Chellappa, a professor at Emory University's Goizueta Business School, stated, "It has not been confirmed whether this group is truly responsible for the hack, and only Coca-Cola would know the amount they are demanding."

The AJC added that as of the 23rd, Coca-Cola has not responded to media inquiries regarding the extent of the damage, the status of system restoration, or when production might resume.

Coca-Cola's dairy brand Fairlife [AP/Yonhap News file photo]