Cyberattacks Cause Refrigeration Failures in European Supermarkets

Temperatures in grocery store refrigeration systems spiked overnight in Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, Luxembourg and Sweden, authorities said on Monday. The incidents are being treated as cyberattacks, highlighting the vulnerability of operational technology that was previously largely mechanical.

Sweden's national cybersecurity centre confirmed it is responding to multiple cases affecting store cooling equipment. "We have in recent weeks … identified that we have quite a lot of exposed operational technology devices in Sweden that we have been clear about the necessity to update or patch," centre head John Billow told Reuters.

Swedish retailers ICA and Coop reported sudden freezer temperature rises, while Axfood said a distribution centre in the Gothenburg area was hacked. In Ireland, SuperValu said a specific refrigeration model was impacted at 13 of its 223 stores.

In Belgium and Luxembourg, Ahold Delhaize stores experienced overnight temperature increases, which the chief executive of refrigeration firm Sabcobel attributed to evaporators being switched to defrost mode. A spokesperson for Colruyt Group confirmed five Spar shops were also affected.

Estonia's Kitman Coldtech reported at least one supermarket chain was hit, with CEO Jann Mutso noting the temperatures were set to 50 °C (122 °F). The French cyberattack on supermarket refrigeration earlier this year caused similar temperature spikes, food spoilage and fires.

No group has claimed responsibility for the recent attacks. European officials linked the incidents to broader concerns about hybrid warfare, with the European Commission emphasizing the need to strengthen cybersecurity across the bloc. A Belgian cybersecurity centre spokesperson said the trend of attacks, especially those leveraging AI, is evolving, but identifying the perpetrators may be difficult.