Supermarkets in eight nations, including Belgium, Sweden, and Ireland, reported sudden overnight freezer failures that ruined chilled stock. The incident comes shortly after French grocers faced similar digital interference on Oct. 12, prompting the European Union to warn of intentional threats to the food supply chain. While Belgian prosecutors have launched a formal inquiry without yet classifying the incident, no group has asserted responsibility for the widespread disruption. In Portugal, the disruption struck seven Intermarche locations through an apparent breach of an external refrigeration management vendor.
Key points
European Union officials view these repeated infrastructure disruptions as deliberate att…: European Union officials view these repeated infrastructure disruptions as deliberate attempts to undermine regional food distribution networks.
External service providers remain critical points of vulnerability for commercial refrige…: External service providers remain critical points of vulnerability for commercial refrigeration and retail food operations across the continent.
Investigators have yet to identify any culprits, and no group has claimed responsibility…: Investigators have yet to identify any culprits, and no group has claimed responsibility for the recent wave of disruptions.
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A suspected cyberattack targeted supermarket freezer systems across at least eight European countries, causing food spoilage and disrupting grocery operations.
BRUSSELS: Grocery stores from Sweden to Portugal were hit Monday (Nov 2) by a suspected cyberattack on their freezer systems, in what the EU denounced as a deliberate attempt to disrupt the bloc's food chain.
Supermarkets in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands were among at least eight countries affected in the incident, which came three weeks after a cyberattack caused mass disruption in French grocery stores.
Food retailers were forced to throw out produce that had spoiled or was at risk of spoiling after refrigerator temperatures soared overnight.
No one had yet claimed responsibility for Monday's incidents, nor for the Oct 12 attack on major French retailers that likewise forced hundreds of stores to toss out food.
The EU's food and agriculture commissioner, Christophe Hansen, said the bloc was taking the incidents "very seriously", calling the repeated cyberattacks "deeply concerning".
"They are a deliberate attempt to disrupt our food supply chain and undermine consumers' confidence in it…
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