Supermarkets in Sweden, Belgium, Estonia, Luxembourg and Ireland have been affected by incidents targeting refrigeration and freezing systems. In some stores, temperatures reportedly rose to as much as 50 degrees during the night, raising fears of a cyberattack similar to one reported in France on 12 October.
Several Belgian stores belonging to major chains, including Delhaize, Carrefour, Spar and Intermarché, were affected around midnight between Sunday and Monday. According to the Belga news agency, an Ikea store also experienced disruptions. Some supermarkets closed temporarily to manage the situation.
In Sweden, stores operated by Ica and Coop were among those affected. Some remained closed during the early morning while staff dealt with the damage. Dennis Vidal, a manager at an affected store in southern Sweden, told public broadcaster SVT that employees were emptying the freezers and that much of the food had already been ruined, although the systems were beginning to cool again.
The cause has not been officially established. Gustaf Nilsson, a spokesperson for the Ica Group, said a limited number of stores had experienced an overnight incident that compromised their refrigeration and freezing systems. European media have reported that Estonia, Luxembourg and Ireland were also hit by similar incidents.
Sources: ANSA Mondo.