Cyberattack disrupts refrigeration systems in European supermarkets
A coordinated cyberattack forced supermarkets in several European countries to switch off or discard perishable goods after hackers manipulated refrigeration units.
Supermarket freezers and fridges in Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland and Estonia were affected by a cyberattack that caused refrigeration systems to overheat. Belgian manufacturer Sabcobel said the attackers switched evaporators to defrost mode, raising temperatures in the units.
Swedish retailer ICA Group confirmed that only a limited number of its stores were impacted, while the Co-op chain reported problems at six locations in central Sweden. Delhaize said an "IT incident" disrupted refrigeration in several dozen stores, mainly in Belgium and some in Luxembourg, but added that distribution centres continued to operate and deliveries were unaffected.
In Estonia, a refrigeration technology firm reported that attackers accessed a control computer and increased temperatures to 50 °C. In Ireland, Musgrave Group said the cyber incident affected refrigeration at 13 SuperValu stores, leading to the removal of chilled and frozen products from sale as a precaution.
National cyber-security agencies in Belgium and Sweden are monitoring the situation, and most European supermarkets use internet-connected systems for remote maintenance.