Technology1 min read

Who's behind Europe supermarket freezers hacking

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Hackers have breached commercial cooling infrastructure across several European nations, compromising systems at grocers such as ICA, Coop, Delhaize, and Carrefour Belgium. The incidents mirror prior attacks in France, where elevated refrigeration temperatures caused food spoilage, fires, and substantial economic damage. Danish firm Danfoss confirmed its components were involved in the European breaches, highlighting the security risks associated with remote-access cooling controls. Supermarket operators are currently discarding ruined stock while attempting to keep their wider distribution networks functional.

Key points

  • Connected industrial hardware creates operational vulnerabilities when internet-linked co…: Connected industrial hardware creates operational vulnerabilities when internet-linked controls lack adequate security protections.
  • Prior cooling intrusions in France resulted in millions of euros in commercial damage alo…: Prior cooling intrusions in France resulted in millions of euros in commercial damage along with facility fires.
  • Potential cyberattacks involving malfunctioning freezers that spoiled food at United Stat…: Potential cyberattacks involving malfunctioning freezers that spoiled food at United States military bases remain under official investigation.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

The attacks allowed unauthorised access to supermarket cooling systems, causing refrigeration units to heat up to dangerous temperatures and putting fresh and frozen food at risk. One notable incident involved an ICA Kvantum supermarket in Sweden, where the temperatures inside refrigerators and freezers were reportedly raised to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight.

Swedish supermarket chain Coop acknowledged that "unauthorized actors were able to access and tamper with the cooling systems at a small fraction of our stores." Dutch retailer Ahold Delhaize also reported an "IT incident" that resulted in changes to the temperatures of refrigeration units at several supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg.

The latest incidents follow a similar attack in France last month, when hackers reportedly raised the temperatures of refrigeration units to as high as 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), causing food to spoil and fires to break out. The French incidents resulted in losses worth millions of euros.

A similar series of mysterious freezer malfunctions that spoiled food at military bases across the United States in August is also being investigated as a suspected…

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