Supermarket freezers in Sweden, Belgium and Luxembourg disrupted by suspected cyber-attack

Supermarket chains in Sweden, Belgium and Luxembourg reported that refrigeration and freezer units in multiple stores rose to abnormal temperatures overnight, raising concerns of a coordinated cyber-attack. Sweden’s Coop said six of its outlets were affected, while ICA confirmed a limited number of stores experienced an incident that impacted their cooling systems. The Dutch retailer Ahold Delhaize, which reported a cybersecurity incident to Dutch police last month, said an "IT incident" disrupted fridges and freezers in dozens of its supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg. A company spokesperson, Sarah De Meester, said the chain had verified the temperature increase and was investigating the cause. Belgian media reported that the problem extended to dozens of stores, including five Spar locations, several Shop & Go convenience stores at Q8 service stations, and multiple smaller Proxy Delhaize minimarkets. > "We started mobilising technicians at 1 am," said Stephan Moelans, chief executive of Sabcobel, a refrigeration-system specialist. "We spent all night and morning disconnecting the affected installations from the grid." The incident echoes a large-scale attack on French supermarkets in October, when hackers took control of cooling units at up to 700 stores, causing temperatures to rise from -27 °C to above 50 °C and resulting in food losses worth tens of thousands to over €130,000 per store. The French attack highlighted vulnerabilities in internet-connected refrigeration controllers, many supplied by Danish firm Danfoss, which had previously warned customers about security flaws and recommended updates. French authorities have opened a formal investigation into that attack, with the prosecutor’s office and the national cybersecurity agency ANSSI involved.