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Cyberattacks disrupt supermarket refrigeration in four European countries
Developing story first seen 2 hours ago
New reports confirm that supermarket refrigeration systems in Belgium, Sweden, Luxembourg and Estonia were affected by suspected cyberattacks. The incidents raise concerns about the security of connected equipment that supports food storage and wider grocery supply chains.
A Swedish Ica Kvantum store said temperatures were remotely raised to 50°C overnight, and Coop confirmed unauthorised access at a small fraction of its stores. Ahold Delhaize said an IT incident altered refrigeration temperatures in dozens of supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg; the full scale remains unclear. The reports follow suspected attacks on hundreds of French supermarket refrigerators last month, where spoiled food was estimated to be worth millions of euros.
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In short
- Suspected attacks disrupted supermarket cooling in four countries.
- One Swedish store reported temperatures reaching 50°C.
- The full scale and impact remain unclear.
How this story developed
- 23 minutes ago Further details described a Swedish Ica Kvantum store’s fridges and freezers being remotely heated to 50°C overnight, while Coop reported unauthorised access at a small number of stores and Ahold Delhaize said temperatures changed at dozens of shops in Belgium and Luxembourg.
- 34 minutes ago Reports said suspected cyberattacks had altered refrigeration temperatures in supermarkets in Belgium, Sweden, Luxembourg and Estonia, following similar incidents in France that caused millions of euros’ worth of estimated spoilage.
Explained simply
Supermarkets rely on refrigeration to keep fresh and frozen food at safe temperatures from delivery until it is sold. Many stores use connected systems to monitor and control fridges and freezers, so a problem with those systems can affect several units at once.
The retailers mentioned include Sweden’s Ica and Coop, and Ahold Delhaize, which operates supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg. Estonia is also among the countries reporting suspected incidents. Disrupted cooling can lead to food being thrown away and raises questions about how well the systems supporting grocery supply chains are protected.
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Originally published by The Verge as “More European supermarkets are getting their freezers hacked”.