Supermarkets across seven European countries have been hit by a suspected cyberattack targeting refrigeration systems, forcing some stores to dispose of spoiled food.
The affected countries include Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia and Finland, with around 40 Delhaize supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg reportedly affected.
Sabcobel, a Belgian refrigeration equipment manufacturer whose systems are used by some of the affected retailers, said the units’ evaporators had been switched to defrost mode, causing temperatures inside refrigerators and freezers to rise.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Stephan Moelans, told Belga news agency that the incident was a cyberattack and that technicians had worked through the night to disconnect affected units from the network.
Moelans said the company had been working to address vulnerabilities identified following a similar incident in France last month, but the affected units required physical modifications in addition to software updates.
In Sweden, several ICA and Coop supermarkets reported disruptions to their refrigeration systems. One ICA store in Sjöbo said its refrigerators and freezers had been hacked overnight and their temperatures raised to 50 degrees Celsius.
ICA confirmed that a small number of stores operating outside its central network had been affected, while Coop said seven of its 800 Swedish outlets experienced the incident.
Some stores were forced to dispose of food that had gone bad, with local media reporting losses worth millions of euros. A Delhaize branch in Hoeilaart, Belgium, estimated that it had lost produce valued at €100,000.
Carrefour said 15 of its Belgian stores were affected but remained open after measures were taken to contain the disruption. Colruyt Group also confirmed that five stores had experienced attacks on their refrigeration systems.
National cybersecurity agencies in Belgium and Sweden said they were monitoring the incident, while the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre said it was working with international partners and industry to establish the details.
The identity of those behind the suspected attacks remains unknown. The incidents have renewed concerns about the security of internet-connected systems used to remotely monitor and maintain supermarket equipment.
