Dozens of supermarkets across seven European countries have been hit by a suspected cyber-attack that disrupted their refrigeration systems, forcing some stores to dispose of spoiled food worth millions of euros.
The affected countries include Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia and Finland, with around 40 Delhaize supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg reportedly impacted by the incident.
The attack allegedly targeted the refrigeration systems by switching their evaporators into defrost mode, causing temperatures to rise.
The method is believed to be similar to an incident that affected hundreds of supermarkets in France in early October.
Stephan Moelans, Chief Executive Officer of Belgian refrigeration company Sabcobel, which operates Delhaize’s systems, confirmed the incident as a cyber-attack.
He told Belga news agency that the company had been “working all night and morning to disconnect the affected units from the network”.
Moelans said efforts had been underway since the French incident to address the vulnerability, but the affected refrigeration units required physical modifications rather than software updates alone.
“The simplest solution is to manage the fridges over a secure internet connection.
Most of our customers switched to that after the attack in France,” Moelans added.
The temperature of some freezers reportedly climbed to as high as 50 degrees Celsius, resulting in significant food losses.
In Hoeilaart, Flanders, a Delhaize store manager told Het Laatste Nieuws that the supermarket had lost about €100,000 worth of products, excluding additional losses from the temporary closure of the store.
French-owned Carrefour said 15 of its Belgian outlets were affected, but measures were immediately implemented to keep all its stores operational.
Colruyt Group, which runs Spar stores in Belgium under a franchise arrangement, also confirmed that five outlets had experienced attacks on their refrigeration systems.
In Sweden, several ICA and Coop supermarkets were affected.
An ICA spokesperson said the incident had impacted a “small number of ICA stores operating outside ICA’s central network”, adding that the company was assisting the affected outlets.
An ICA supermarket in Sjöbo, southern Sweden, announced on social media, “Our refrigerators and freezers have been hacked overnight and they have set the temperature to 50 degrees.” The store, which initially shut down, has since reopened. Seven Coop outlets in Sweden were also affected, although the company said the “situation is currently contained and under control”.
In Finland, refrigeration problems were detected at some K-stores, with retailer Kesko’s security experts investigating the cause.
The incident also affected 13 SuperValu supermarkets in Ireland, where Musgrave Group confirmed a “cyber incident” involving refrigeration systems linked to a “specific model” of refrigerator.
Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported that at least 17 businesses in the Netherlands, including butcher shops and neighbourhood stores, were affected.
In Estonia, a Selver supermarket was among the outlets hit, while further incidents were reported across the country.
The identities of those responsible for the suspected cyber-attack remain unknown.
Cybersecurity agencies in Belgium and Sweden said they were monitoring the situation, while the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre said it was working with international partners and industry to “fully understand details of an incident”. No cases have been reported in the UK.
