Cyberattacks have affected the refrigeration systems of at least four Coop supermarkets in Sicily, according to Giuseppe Spadaro, director general of the Radenza group, which operates the stores. Three affected locations are in Catania and one is in Palermo.
The attacks altered temperature settings in food display units, causing them to overheat and damaging some of the products. The incident occurred at around 4 a.m., and the company is still assessing the financial impact. Some systems have already been restored, while the group has contacted Italy’s National Cybersecurity Agency and activated investigation protocols.
Italy’s Postal Police is examining the origin and scale of the attacks and checking whether they are connected to similar incidents reported elsewhere in Europe. A meeting has been scheduled at Palazzo Chigi for Tuesday, November 3, at 11:30 a.m. It will be coordinated by Undersecretary to the Prime Minister Alfredo Mantovano and attended by the director of the National Cybersecurity Agency and the heads of Italy’s intelligence agencies.
The incidents in Italy form part of a wider wave of disruptions affecting supermarket refrigeration systems. Retail chains in Belgium, Sweden, Luxembourg, Estonia, the Netherlands and Ireland have reported serious anomalies after refrigeration and freezing equipment was apparently switched remotely into defrost mode. In some cases, temperatures rose far above permitted limits, putting large quantities of food at risk.
In Belgium, Delhaize, Carrefour, Intermarché and Spar reported cybersecurity incidents at stores in both Flanders and Wallonia. The federal prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation, while the Belgian Centre for Cybersecurity has expressed concern about the rising number of incidents. The European Union has described the situation as highly worrying.
No group has claimed responsibility. European officials have warned that the incidents could disrupt food supply chains, affect businesses and undermine consumer confidence. Carrefour Belgium said the problem affected around 15 of its 700 stores in the country and described it as a cyberattack.
A preliminary assessment has highlighted the possible role of outdated or insufficiently protected equipment. Some of the systems reportedly targeted were older machines connected through 4G rather than newer 5G networks or unable to receive current software and security updates. Industrial refrigeration company Sabcobel said it had begun securing its installations after a similar attack in France on October 12, but around 10% of its equipment had not yet been reviewed, including some units in affected stores.
Sources: ANSA Mondo.