Several supermarkets in Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Belgium, Luxembourg and Ireland were targeted in a coordinated cyberattack during the night of November 1 to 2. The attackers took remote control of internet-connected systems used to regulate refrigerators and freezers, affecting several dozen food stores.
In Sweden, ICA Kvantum in Sjöbo, in the country’s south, remained closed for several hours on Monday, November 2. A message posted on Facebook said the store’s refrigerators and freezers had been hacked overnight and that their temperature had been set to 50 °C. The supermarket said it had to discard spoiled products while working to restore normal operations.
The incident follows cyberattacks against nearly 700 stores in France during the night of October 11 to 12, followed by a smaller attack the next day. In both cases, the targeted software was developed by Danish company Danfoss.
Christophe Hansen, the European commissioner for agriculture and food, described the repeated attacks as extremely concerning. He said they appeared intended to disrupt the food supply chain and undermine consumer confidence.
Sources: Le Monde.