Cyberattacks target supermarket refrigeration systems across Europe

Supermarket chains in at least seven European countries reported problems with refrigeration and freezing systems on Monday, November 2, 2026. Retailers in Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Sweden reported the issues, which reportedly included temperatures rising as high as 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).

Impact on Retailers

Several major supermarket chains confirmed they were affected by the incident:

• ICA Group (Sweden): A spokesperson for the chain said a "limited number" of stores were affected overnight. An ICA Kvantum store in Sjöbo reported that fridges and freezers were hacked and set to 50 degrees Celsius.
• Coop (Sweden): The chain reported that six of its stores in central Sweden experienced problems with fridges and freezers.
• Ahold Delhaize (Belgium and Luxembourg): The chain reported an "IT incident" affecting refrigeration systems in several dozen stores, primarily in Belgium.
• Carrefour (Belgium): The company stated a cyberattack targeting refrigeration systems affected 15 of its more than 700 stores in Belgium.
• SuperValu (Ireland): The parent company, Musgrave Group, said refrigeration systems in 13 of its 223 stores were affected by the "cyber incident."
• IKEA (Belgium): A spokesperson stated a cyber-attack caused the temperature of freezers in its Mons shop to rise suddenly.
• Kitman Coldtech (Estonia): The refrigeration technology company reported that attackers accessed a computer controlling a client's refrigeration system and raised the temperature to 50 degrees Celsius.

Technical Details and Vulnerabilities

Some reports indicate that the attacks targeted older or internet-exposed equipment. In Estonia, a contractor stated attackers accessed an older Danfoss system. Following a similar attack in France last month, Danfoss stated it had "long recommended" that customers install updates to address security flaws.

Stephan Moelans, chief executive of Sabcobel, which operates Delhaize’s refrigeration systems, told the Belga news agency that the incident was a cyber-attack and that the units' evaporators were switched to defrost mode.

Patrick Lamplmair, CTO at the cybersecurity firm Tributech, noted that many refrigeration systems have known flaws and that "thousands of these controllers were still reachable from the internet after the French attack."

Official Responses

European Union food and agriculture commissioner Christophe Hansen called the repeated attacks "a deliberate attempt to disrupt our food supply chain and undermine consumers’ confidence in it."

Katrien Eggers, a spokesperson for the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium, stated that while the agency was aware of the incident, it was not known who was behind it. Eggers expressed concern regarding the rising number of incidents due to the targeted use of AI, noting that "AI can now be used to successfully exploit these weaknesses — especially by sophisticated actors."

Why it matters

These incidents highlight the vulnerability of interconnected industrial and commercial infrastructure. As more mechanical systems are connected to the internet for remote monitoring, they become potential targets for sabotage or disruption.

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Sources

• thebusinessjournal.com: Cyberattacks hit supermarket refrigeration systems across Europe
• theguardian.com: Shop fridges and freezers across Europe hit by fresh suspected cyber-attack | Sweden | The Guardian
• aljazeera.com: Suspected cyberattacks trigger supermarket fridge failures across Europe | Cybersecurity News | Al Jazeera
• therecord.media: Second wave of suspected cyberattacks hits supermarket freezers across Europe | The Record from Recorded Future News
• centraloregondaily.com: New cyberattack on supermarket fridges sweeps across Europe | Consumer | centraloregondaily.com
• gizmodo.com: Supermarket Freezers Across Europe Hit With Another Cyberattack

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