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Cyberattacks trigger supermarket fridge defrosts across Europe
Cyberattacks on supermarket refrigeration systems in several European countries caused fridges and freezers to switch into defrost mode, spoiling food and disrupting shops. The incidents matter because they have forced stores to discard fresh and frozen stock, while the attacks appear to be continuing across borders.
In Belgium, around 40 Delhaize stores and about 15 Carrefour stores were reportedly affected, alongside some Intermarché, Spar and Shop & Go locations. Sweden’s ICA reported a small number of affected stores, Coop said six locations were hit, and at least 13 SuperValu stores in Ireland were affected; the article also reports incidents in Luxembourg. The attacks follow similar appliance tampering at French grocery chains less than a month earlier.
In short
- Hackers remotely triggered supermarket fridges and freezers to defrost.
- Stores in several European countries reported spoiled food.
- The incidents follow similar attacks in France last month.
Explained simply
Supermarkets use connected control systems to monitor and regulate the temperature of fridges and freezers. If those systems are changed or disrupted, food can warm up and become unsafe or spoil, even when the refrigeration equipment itself is working.
The affected retailers include Delhaize, Carrefour, Intermarché, Spar and Shop & Go in Belgium, as well as ICA and Coop in Sweden and SuperValu in Ireland. Incidents have also been reported in Luxembourg, following similar tampering at French grocery chains.
The damage can mean discarded food, lost income and disruption for shoppers. Reports across several countries raise questions about how exposed supermarket equipment is to remote interference and how quickly retailers can detect and contain it.
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Originally published by The Register as “Frozen part II: Hackers remotely defrost produce in Euro supermarkets … again”.