Retailers Ahold Delhaize, Coop, and ICA are actively investigating suspected cyber-attacks that disrupted cooling units across dozens of stores. The disruptions mirror an earlier French breach where hackers manipulated temperature settings between -27C and over 50C at up to 700 supermarkets. That prior attack resulted in food spoilage, fires, and financial losses reaching hundreds of thousands of euros per store. French cyber authorities noted the earlier breaches compromised systems made by Danish supplier Danfoss alongside controllers from two other manufacturers.
Key points
Technicians were forced to manually disconnect cooling systems from the grid to mitigate…: Technicians were forced to manually disconnect cooling systems from the grid to mitigate operational disruptions.
French authorities including the Paris prosecutor and ANSSI launched investigations into…: French authorities including the Paris prosecutor and ANSSI launched investigations into attacks that sparked store fires.
Vulnerabilities were tied largely to Danfoss controllers, despite the supplier having pre…: Vulnerabilities were tied largely to Danfoss controllers, despite the supplier having previously issued security update recommendations.
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Supermarket chains in Sweden, Belgium and Luxembourg have said the temperatures of their refrigerators and freezers in dozens of stores rose overnight, prompting fears of a cyber-attack similar to one that caused millions of euros of food losses in France.
Sweden’s Coop chain told the daily Aftonbladet on Monday that six of its stores had been affected, while ICA said it was “aware that a limited number of stores were affected by an incident overnight which impacted their refrigeration and freezer systems”.
The Dutch retailer Ahold Delhaize, which last month reported a cybersecurity incident to police in the Netherlands, said an “IT incident” had hit fridges and freezers in dozens of its supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg.
A company spokesperson, Sarah De Meester, said the supermarket chain had established that temperatures in the cooling systems had increased, adding that the incident was being investigated.
Belgium’s Le Soir newspaper reported that dozens of stores and supermarkets were affected, including five Spar outlets, multiple Shop & Go convenience stores attached to Q8 service stations, and a number of smaller Proxy Delhaize minimarkets.
Retailers across Western and Northern Europe are tallying millions of euros in spoiled goods after unauthorized intrusions manipulated cooling units. The incidents, which follow a comparable widespread disruption in France last month, prompted immediate intervention from government cyber-security agencies in Belgium and Sweden. Investigators have not yet identified the perpetrators responsible for the sabotage.
Retail infrastructure disruptions hit multiple European grocery chains early in the week after cooling equipment was targeted by digital intrusions. Investigators are examining potential links across the continent as these breaches follow a pattern established during earlier incidents. The full operational fallout remains under evaluation while officials seek to pinpoint the perpetrators behind the incidents.
Multiple European grocery chains are discarding thousands of euros in spoiled food following widespread temperature disruptions across their cooling systems. The overnight incident impacted retailers across Belgium, Sweden, and Ireland, mirroring a similar wave of disruptions that hit hundreds of French stores last month. Investigators have not yet identified the perpetrators responsible for tampering with the commercial refrigeration equipment.