Cyber attacks on European supermarket freezers raise UK food supply concerns

Cyber attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems across Europe destroyed large quantities of chilled and frozen food, raising concerns about the resilience of food supply chains. The article says basic security flaws in internet-connected equipment may leave Britain and other countries exposed to further disruption.

The first attack affected 700 French stores on 11 October, with freezer temperatures in some shops reaching 80C and food losses reported in the hundreds of millions of euros. Three weeks later, around 100 stores in several European countries were hit, with temperatures rising above 50C; no group has claimed responsibility or demanded a ransom. The article also cites at least 1,831 cyber-attacks recorded against UK organisations this year, including 80 deemed nationally significant, and reports that the UK meat-processing industry is currently dealing with an attack.