European Supermarkets Hit by Cyberattacks Targeting Refrigeration Systems
Supermarkets in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Sweden report severe cyberattacks disabling refrigeration systems, forcing temperatures up to 50 degrees Celsius in a wave echoing recent French incidents.
A wave of sophisticated cyberattacks targeting commercial refrigeration systems has hit supermarkets across at least three European countries, mirroring a massive incident in France three weeks prior. Major grocery chains in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Sweden reported sudden and severe temperature spikes in their freezers and cold rooms, resulting in significant food spoilage.
Swedish supermarket chain ICA attributed the malfunction directly to a cyberattack, stating that hackers remotely forced the temperature in its cooling units up to 50 degrees Celsius. The private food retail group Coop confirmed to local media that six of its stores experienced similar disruptions, while Ahold Delhaize reported an IT incident affecting multiple locations in Belgium and Luxembourg.
These European incidents follow an unprecedented wave of attacks in France between October 11 and 12, which impacted over 400 supermarket branches, including Intermarché, Carrefour, and Monoprix. Investigators revealed that the hackers exploited vulnerabilities in Danfoss refrigeration control software by altering remote settings to sabotage food inventories and, in some cases, ignite localized fires. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu's office confirmed that authorities are closely monitoring the situation in coordination with European partners.
US defense officials are also investigating potential parallel incidents after military base commissaries in Arizona and other states experienced mysterious refrigeration failures in late August. Pentagon investigators suspect those disruptions may be linked to similar remote software exploitation.
