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Supermarkets across Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland and Estonia have experienced refrigeration and freezer disruptions following suspected cyberattacks, forcing some retailers to dispose of affected food products.
The incidents occurred on Monday and follow a similar attack in France last month, when hackers remotely accessed refrigeration systems at hundreds of supermarkets and independent stores, causing temperatures to rise and putting food stocks at risk.
In Sweden, ICA Group confirmed that a limited number of its stores had been affected overnight by an incident targeting refrigeration and freezing systems.
An ICA Kvantum store in Sjöbo, southern Sweden, reported that its refrigerators and freezers had been hacked and set to 50°C. In a Facebook statement, the retailer said staff were disposing of affected products.
Meanwhile, Swedish supermarket chain Coop reported refrigeration problems at six of its stores in central Sweden, according to news agency TT.
In Belgium and neighbouring Luxembourg, Delhaize said an IT incident had affected refrigeration systems at several dozen stores, primarily in Belgium.
The company said the disruption had temporarily reduced the availability of fresh and frozen products in affected locations. However, its distribution centres continued to operate normally, with no reported disruption to store deliveries.
Carrefour also confirmed that a cyberattack targeting refrigeration systems had affected 15 of its more than 700 stores in Belgium. The retailer described the impact as "extremely limited".
The incidents highlight the potential vulnerability of food retail infrastructure to cyberattacks, particularly systems responsible for maintaining temperature-controlled storage.
Refrigeration failures can pose significant food safety and waste challenges for retailers, with temperature excursions potentially compromising the quality and safety of chilled and frozen products.
The latest incidents follow an attack in France last month, in which cybercriminals remotely manipulated refrigeration systems across hundreds of supermarkets and independent stores, raising temperatures and forcing retailers to assess affected food stocks.
The spread of similar incidents across multiple European markets raises further questions about the cybersecurity of connected refrigeration equipment and the potential operational risks facing food retailers.
