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. At one Swedish outlet, attackers remotely altered freezer controls overnight until internal temperatures soared to 50 degrees Celsius.
Key points
National cyber-security agencies in Sweden and Belgium are actively monitoring the unveri…: National cyber-security agencies in Sweden and Belgium are actively monitoring the unverified perpetrators behind the tampering.
Grocery chains incurred millions of euros in losses due to massive volumes of discarded,…: Grocery chains incurred millions of euros in losses due to massive volumes of discarded, spoiled inventory.
Retailers implemented immediate countermeasures to stabilize operations, with Coop report…: Retailers implemented immediate countermeasures to stabilize operations, with Coop reporting its impacted Swedish locations are now contained.
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Supermarket freezers in Belgium, Sweden and Luxembourg hit by suspected cyber-attack
Dozens of supermarkets in Belgium and Sweden have been hit by a suspected cyber-attack affecting its refrigerators and freezers.
Around 40 Delhaize supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg were affected, while several ICA and Coop shops in Sweden were hit. Thirteen SuperValu shops have also been impacted in Ireland.
Millions of euros worth of food has had to be thrown away, according to local media reports, with one ICA store in Sweden saying temperatures for its freezers had been set to 50 C (122F).
It is not clear who is behind the attack, which follows a similar incident last month that affected hundreds of French supermarkets.
Both Belgium and Sweden's national cyber-security agencies said they were monitoring the incident.
Delhaize, one of Belgium's biggest supermarket chains, told Belgian media a "computer incident" had occurred overnight at 40 shops.
A Delhaize branch in Hoeilaart, in the Flemish Braband province in Flanders, told Het Laatste Nieuws it had lost €100,000 worth of produce.
Digital intrusions targeting internet-connected commercial cooling infrastructure have disrupted grocery chains across Belgium, Sweden, Luxembourg, and Estonia. Retailers reported unauthorized overnight temperature increases that threaten product safety and expose wider vulnerabilities within food supply chains. These incidents follow earlier breaches in France and at American military installations that previously triggered severe cooling failures and widespread inventory spoilage.
European authorities and supermarket chains are investigating widespread disruptions after cooling systems were intentionally heated overnight across multiple countries. The suspicious temperature surges mirror a recent French intrusion that caused fires and inventory losses by driving units up to 50 degrees Celsius. Impacted grocery retailers include major regional brands such as ICA, Coop, and Ahold Delhaize.
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