Supermarkets in Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg and Estonia have been affected by suspected cyberattacks targeting their refrigeration systems, causing temperatures in freezers and refrigerators to rise and putting large quantities of food at risk.
The incidents, reported on Monday, November 2, forced some retailers to dispose of fresh and frozen products after their storage systems were allegedly manipulated by hackers.
In Sweden, a supermarket disclosed on social media that the temperature settings of its refrigerators and freezers had been raised to 50 degrees Celsius, in what appeared to be a similar attack to the one previously reported in France.
A spokesperson for Swedish grocery retailer ICA confirmed that some of its outlets had experienced disruptions overnight.
“We are aware that a limited number of stores were affected by an incident overnight, which impacted their refrigeration and freezer systems,” the spokesperson said in an email.
Another supermarket operator, Coop, told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet that six of its stores had experienced similar incidents.
Sweden’s National Cybersecurity Centre also confirmed that it was investigating several cases involving attacks on refrigeration systems in grocery stores across the country.
In Belgium and Luxembourg, local media reported that dozens of refrigerators and freezers at Delhaize supermarket outlets had been affected.
The incidents also reportedly affected Belgian retailer Carrefour, which disclosed on Monday morning that 15 of its stores had experienced disruptions.
Delhaize and butcher shop De Laet & Van Haver were among the businesses that reported sudden increases in the temperatures of their refrigeration equipment.
Meanwhile, Estonian refrigeration company Kitman Coldtech disclosed that hackers had targeted the cooling systems of an unnamed supermarket chain in the country.
However, the company said its swift response prevented the incident from causing damage.
France Investigates Similar Cyberattacks
The latest incidents come weeks after similar attacks affected several supermarket chains in France, prompting an investigation by the country’s National Cybersecurity Agency.
French authorities have also been coordinating with other European countries to determine whether the incidents are connected and establish the full extent of the attacks.
Carrefour disclosed that approximately 80 of its supermarkets in France were affected, while Monoprix, which operates about 490 outlets in the country, reported that five per cent of its stores experienced disruptions.
Les Mousquetaires, the parent company of Intermarché, also confirmed that refrigeration systems in approximately 150 of its stores had been affected.
According to the retailer, temperatures in some refrigerators were raised to as high as 50 degrees Celsius and maintained at that level for about six hours overnight.
The company said it had discarded all affected food products as a precautionary measure to prevent possible health risks to consumers.
The growing number of incidents across Europe has raised concerns about the vulnerability of supermarket refrigeration systems to cyberattacks and the potential consequences for food safety and supply chains.
Investigations are ongoing to establish how the hackers gained access to the systems and whether the incidents across the affected countries were coordinated.
