Supermarkets in several European countries were reportedly affected by a suspected cyberattack during the night into Monday. Delhaize said an IT disruption impaired cooling systems at dozens of its stores in Belgium and Luxembourg, including around 40 branches in Belgium.
The affected supermarkets reported sudden temperature increases in their refrigeration units. Belgian stores operated by Carrefour and Spar were also affected, according to the Belga news agency. Cooling systems were reportedly switched remotely into defrost mode, while service provider Sabcobel began mobilising technicians shortly after 1 a.m. to bring the situation under control.
In Sweden, the ICA and Coop chains reported disruptions. One supermarket said on social media that the temperature in its refrigerators and freezers had risen to as high as 50 degrees. ICA said several branches were affected but did not yet describe the incident as a hacker attack.
Ireland’s public broadcaster RTÉ reported that 13 supermarkets were affected, with chilled and frozen food removed from sale as a precaution. In the Netherlands, cooling technology company Danfoss said at least 17 smaller stores had been affected. One case was also reported in Estonia.
The incident resembles a large-scale attack in France the previous month. French police said hackers had taken control of cooling systems at hundreds of supermarkets, resulting in spoiled food and fires.
IT security experts said comparable refrigeration systems are also used in Germany, although retailers do not all rely on the same software or hardware. Major German retailers have so far not reported incidents comparable to those in France, Belgium or Sweden. Experts also noted that artificial intelligence is making it easier for attackers to identify security vulnerabilities.
Sources: Tagesschau.