Cyber-attack hits shop freezers in seven European countries

Cyber-attack hits shop freezers in seven European countries

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.

The temperature of freezers in several shops across Europe reportedly rose to as high as 50C (122F).

What happened

Sabcobel, a Belgian company that manufactures some of the affected refrigerators, said the units' evaporators were switched to defrost mode, causing them to warm up, in what is believed to be the same method used in last month's incident that hit hundreds of French supermarkets.

Stephan Moelans, the CEO of Sabcobel, which operates Delhaize's systems, on Monday told the Belga news agency that the incident was a cyber-attack and that the company had been "working all night and morning to disconnect the affected units from the network".

He said since the French attack in early October, the company had been working to "protect our customers fridges against this vulnerability" but that the units needed physical modifications, not just software updates.

Impact by country

• Belgium: Around 40 Delhaize supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg were affected. A Delhaize branch in Hoeilaart told news website Het Laatste Nieuws it had lost €100,000 (£83,500) worth of produce. Carrefour said the incident had only affected 15 of its Belgian stores. A spokesperson for Colruyt Group told Reuters five shops had their fridge systems attacked. Ikea said refrigeration systems of its store in the western Belgian city of Mons were affected.
• Sweden: Several ICA and Coop shops were hit. Seven out of the 800 Coop stores in Sweden were affected. One ICA branch in Sjöbo, southern Sweden, wrote on social media: "Our refrigerators and freezers have been hacked overnight and they have set the temperature to 50 degrees."
• Ireland: It impacted 13 SuperValu supermarkets. A spokesman for Musgrave Group confirmed to The Irish Times that a "cyber incident" affected its refrigeration systems, but added that the impact was limited to a "specific model" of refrigerator.
• Netherlands: A spokesperson for Danish manufacturer Danfoss told Dutch public radio channel NOS that the freezing and cooling systems of at least 17 companies in the Netherlands were attacked overnight, affecting butchers' shops and small neighbourhood stores.
• Estonia: A Selver supermarket in Estonia was also affected and there are reports of other affected companies in the country, according to ERR.
• Finland: Refrigerator malfunctions were detected in some K-stores.

Official response

It is unclear who is behind the latest apparent attack.

Both Belgium and Sweden's national cyber-security agencies said they were monitoring the incident. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre said it was working with international partners and industry to "fully understand details of an incident". No incidents have been reported in the UK.

In the US, authorities are investigating what caused refrigeration malfunctions at a number of American military bases in August and working together with French officials to examine whether the incidents could be linked.

Why it matters

Millions of euros worth of food had to be thrown away in October, local media reported at the time. The attack highlights the vulnerability of internet-connected refrigeration systems in supermarkets across Europe.

Sources

• theguardian.com: Hot fridges, a fake nuclear alert and a $6bn heist: are we in the foothills of a hacking epidemic? | Hacking | The Guardian
• bbc.com: Shop freezers in seven European countries hit by cyber-attack

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.