European supermarkets hit by second freezer cyberattack wave

Summarised from 14 outlets · Updated 2 Nov, 14:17 · Archive

Dozens of supermarkets across Belgium, Sweden and Luxembourg reported sudden temperature spikes in refrigerators and freezers on Monday, apparently caused by cyberattacks.

Supermarket chains across Belgium, Sweden, Luxembourg and Ireland reported that their refrigeration systems were hit by an apparent cyberattack in the early hours of Monday, with temperatures in fridges and freezers suddenly spiking to around 50 degrees Celsius. Store operators were forced to discard large quantities of spoiled food.

In Sweden, ICA said it was "aware that a limited number of stores were affected by an incident overnight, which impacted their refrigeration and freezer systems". Coop told Swedish daily Aftonbladet that six of its stores had been affected. One ICA Kvantum store in Sjöbo, southern Sweden, wrote on social media that "our refrigerators and freezers have been hacked overnight and they have set the temperature to 50 degrees".

In Belgium and Luxembourg, the Dutch retailer Ahold Delhaize reported an "IT incident" affecting dozens of its supermarkets. Carrefour Belgium said approximately 15 of its stores were affected. Belgian broadcaster RTBF cited store managers as attributing the problems to a cyberattack. The chief executive of Sabcobel, a Belgian refrigeration company operating Delhaize's systems, told local media that the incident was a cyberattack in which the units' evaporators were switched to defrost mode.

In Ireland, 13 SuperValu shops were reported to have been impacted by the suspected attack. The Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium said it was closely following the incident. Sweden's national cyber-security centre confirmed it was responding to multiple incidents affecting refrigeration systems in grocery stores across the country.

The attacks follow a similar incident in France last month, in which police said hackers seized control of cooling units at up to 700 supermarkets, raising temperatures as high as 50 degrees Celsius and causing fires and heavy food losses. Ahold Delhaize had reported a cybersecurity incident to Dutch police in October after detecting suspicious activity in its infrastructure.

It is not clear whether the current attacks are connected to the French incident or used the same software vulnerabilities. The Verge reports that security researchers had previously identified that internet-connected refrigerators made by Danish company Danfoss, which was no longer providing security updates, were at risk of remote hacks. Both incidents underscore concerns about the vulnerability of increasingly internet-connected systems used in food supply chains.

How it is being reported

• A fresh wave of cyberattacks has hit Europe’s supermarket refrigerators, destroying food across countriesThis is the second wave of cyberattacks to hit supermarket refrigerators in a month, spoiling food and disrupting supplies.TechCrunch · 2 Nov, 14:08
• Freezers at supermarkets in several European countries hit by apparent cyberattacksSupermarkets in Europe were hit Monday by freezer and fridge problems, apparently caused by cyberattacks, forcing some to dispose of spoiled food.New York Post · 2 Nov, 13:54
• Fresh wave of fridge cyberattacks hits European supermarketsStores and supermarkets across Belgium, Luxembourg and Sweden all reported abrupt temperature spikes in their fridges and freezers early Monday in an apparent cyberattack targeting refrigeration units. The incidents follow a similar attack that hit hundreds of supermarkets across France in October, triggering food loss and fires.France 24 · 2 Nov, 13:40
• Frozen part II: Hackers remotely defrost produce in Euro supermarkets ... againLet it go (bad): Dozens of stores report mass food wastage as managers start their week in puddlesThe Register · 2 Nov, 13:15
• More European supermarkets are getting their freezers hackedGrocery stores across Europe have been hit by another wave of suspected cyberattacks, reporting sudden changes in the temperatures of their fridges and freezers. Major supermarket chains across Belgium, Sweden, Luxembourg, and Estonia were affected according to local reports shared by Bloomberg and Reuters. One Ica Kvantum store in Sweden said on its Facebook page […]The Verge · 2 Nov, 13:00
• More European grocery stores hit by apparent fridge-freezer hacksGrocery chains in European nations say temperatures in some stores' fridges and freezers soared over 100 degrees just weeks after a similar incident in France.CBS News · 2 Nov, 12:45
• Supermarkets across Europe hit by suspected cyber attack as fridges turned upIT incident hits retail chains in Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and SwedenIndependent World · 2 Nov, 12:37
• Freezers in Sweden, Belgium overheat following possible cyberattacksTemperature increases have been reported in dozens of store cooling systems, weeks after a similar attack in France.Al Jazeera · 2 Nov, 12:08
• Supermarket freezers in Belgium and Sweden hit by suspected cyber-attackOne store in Sweden says temperatures for its freezers were set to 50 C (122F).BBC News · 2 Nov, 11:25
• Hackers attack supermarket fridges in Belgium, Sweden and LuxembourgStore fridges heated up to 50 degrees Celsius, mimicking similar incidents that plagued France last month.Politico Europe · 2 Nov, 11:19
• Supermarket freezers across Europe hit by second suspected cyber-attackChains in Sweden, Belgium and Luxembourg said fridge temperatures rose overnight, similar to hack that hit French stores in October Supermarket chains in Sweden, Belgium and Luxembourg have said the temperatures of their refrigerators and freezers in dozens of stores rose overnight, prompting fears of a cyber-attack similar to one that caused millions of euros of food losses in France. Sweden’s Coop chain told the daily Aftonbladet on Monday that six of its stores had been affected, while ICA said it was “aware that a limited number of stores were affected by an incident overnight which…The Guardian · 2 Nov, 11:12
• Cyber attackers defrost freezers in Swedish and Belgian supermarkets weeks after similar attack that cost shops millions in FranceDozens of supermarkets have been hit by cyberattacks across Sweden and Belgium, which caused the temperature of freezers to rise sharply overnight.Daily Mail · 2 Nov, 10:44
• Hackers target refrigerators in new cyber attacksCyber hackers have targeted fridges and freezers in supermarkets in several European countries including Ireland – causing temperatures to increase and food to spoil.Sky News · 2 Nov, 10:39
• European supermarkets hit by freezer hackingRetailers in Sweden and Belgium affected by latest attackFinancial Times · 2 Nov, 09:49

In this story: Belgium · Sweden · Luxembourg · France · Ahold Delhaize · ICA · Coop · Carrefour

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log