Cyberattack disrupts refrigeration systems in supermarkets across Europe
Supermarkets in Belgium, Sweden, the Netherlands, Estonia, Luxembourg, Finland and Ireland reported temperature spikes in fridges and freezers, prompting investigations and remedial actions after a suspected cyber intrusion.
Dozens of supermarkets in several European countries reported that refrigerator and freezer temperatures rose overnight, an incident investigators believe is linked to a cyberattack similar to one that affected France weeks earlier. The problem was first reported in Belgium, where fridges were set to 17 °C, forcing stores to discard perishable goods.
Belgium’s Centre for Cybersecurity confirmed it is monitoring an incident targeting supermarket refrigeration systems, though it has not disclosed details about the perpetrators. The federal prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation.
In Belgium, about 75 locations were affected, including roughly 40 Delhaize Proxy stores, 15 Carrefour Shop & Go outlets, 15 Intermarché shops, five Spar service stations, a butchery group and an IKEA store in Mons. A Delhaize spokesperson said the company identified an IT incident affecting refrigeration systems and took immediate measures to keep stores operational.
Carrefour said the impact was limited to 15 of its 700 Belgian stores, none of which were hypermarkets, and that all stores remained open because only a few refrigeration units, mainly freezers, were affected. A Carrefour Belgium spokesman described the event as a cyberattack.
Stephan Moelans, CEO of refrigeration installer Sabcobel, which manages Delhaize’s cooling equipment, said the attack used the same mechanism as the French incident, triggering evaporators to switch to defrost mode. He noted that a software update alone would not resolve the vulnerability and that physical modifications and secure internet management are required.
Danfoss, the supplier of the software used in the affected refrigeration systems, said customers who had not installed the latest software were impacted and that the vulnerability stemmed primarily from outdated software.
Similar temperature spikes were reported in Sweden at ICA and Coop stores, in Estonia at a Selver location, in Ireland at 13 SuperValu stores, and in the Netherlands at at least 17 companies using Danfoss equipment. Delhaize also suspended its ordering systems in Luxembourg as a precaution, and Finnish media indicated that several K Group supermarkets were affected.
Authorities and retailers are working to contain the issue and prevent further disruptions.