Dozens of supermarkets across seven European countries have been hit by a cyber-attack affecting their refrigerators and freezers. Around 40 Delhaize supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg were affected, while a smaller number of shops were hit in Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia, and Finland.
Impact on Supermarkets and Retailers
Sabcobel, a Belgian company that manufactures some of the affected refrigerators, explained that the units’ evaporators were switched to defrost mode, causing them to warm up. This method is believed to match the incident that hit hundreds of French supermarkets last month, where millions of euros worth of food had to be discarded.
Stephan Moelans, the CEO of Sabcobel, told the Belga news agency that the incident was a cyber-attack and that the company had been working to disconnect the affected units from the network. He noted that since the French attack in early October, the company had been working to protect customer fridges against the vulnerability, but the units required physical modifications rather than simple software updates. Moelans added that the simplest solution is to manage the fridges over a secure internet connection, as most customers switched to that method following the attack in France.
The temperature of freezers in several shops across Europe reportedly rose to as high as 50C (122F). In Flanders, northern Belgium, a Delhaize branch in Hoeilaart told news website Het Laatste Nieuws it had lost €100,000 worth of produce, not including further losses from closing the shop.
Carrefour stated that the incident affected 15 of its Belgian stores, with immediate measures taken to keep all shops open. A spokesperson for Colruyt Group told Reuters that five Spar franchise stores in Belgium had their fridge systems attacked. Ikea reported that the refrigeration system of its store in Mons, Belgium, was affected, with a spokesman telling Reuters that additional locations could potentially be impacted.
In Sweden, several ICA and Coop shops were hit. An ICA spokesperson confirmed that the incident affected a small number of stores operating outside its central network. An ICA branch in Sjöbo stated on social media that their refrigerators and freezers had been hacked overnight and the temperature set to 50 degrees, though the store has since reopened. Coop reported that seven of its 800 stores in Sweden were affected, but the situation is currently contained and under control.
In Finland, refrigerator malfunctions were detected in some K-stores, and supermarket chain owner Kesko stated that security experts were investigating the cause. In Ireland, 13 SuperValu supermarkets were impacted, with a Musgrave Group spokesman confirming a cyber incident affected a specific model of refrigerator. In the Netherlands, Danish manufacturer Danfoss told NOS that freezing and cooling systems of at least 17 companies were attacked overnight, affecting butcher shops and small neighborhood stores. A Selver supermarket in Estonia was also affected, alongside other companies in the country, according to ERR.
International Investigations and Security Response
It remains unclear who is behind the latest apparent attack. In the United States, authorities are investigating refrigeration malfunctions at several American military bases from August and are working with French officials to examine potential links. Both the Belgian and Swedish national cyber-security agencies stated they were monitoring the incident.
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre reported it was working with international partners and industry to fully understand the details of the incident, noting that no incidents have been reported in the UK.
