Supermarket freezers overheat in suspected cyberattacks across Europe

Freezers and refrigerators at supermarkets in Belgium, Luxembourg and Sweden overheated overnight in suspected cyberattacks, forcing stores to discard food and prompting national cybersecurity officials to monitor the incidents. Shops in Ireland were also affected, the BBC reported.

Around 40 Delhaize supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg experienced what the chain called a “computer incident,” according to the BBC. Al Jazeera reported that a company spokesperson described an “IT incident” affecting fridges and freezers and said the chain was investigating.

In Sweden, ICA and Coop reported sudden temperature rises at a limited number of stores. The BBC reported that one ICA store in Sjöbo, southern Sweden, posted on social media: “Our refrigerators and freezers have been hacked overnight and they have set the temperature to 50 degrees.” That is 122F. The store closed earlier but later reopened, the BBC said.

The BBC reported that millions of euros worth of food had to be thrown away, citing local media. A Delhaize branch in Hoeilaart, Belgium, told the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws it had lost €100,000 worth of produce. Its manager said that figure did not include losses from closing the shop. In Stockholm, an employee at an ICA branch was pictured throwing away bags of spoiled food, according to the BBC.

The full extent of the disruption remains unclear. The BBC reported that 13 SuperValu shops in Ireland were affected. It also said Carrefour reported an incident at 15 of its Belgian stores and took immediate steps to keep them open.

ICA said the incident affected a “small number of ICA stores operating outside ICA’s central network,” according to the BBC. “ICA is currently supporting the affected stores in managing the situation,” a spokesperson said. Al Jazeera quoted an ICA spokesperson saying a “limited number” of stores had experienced an overnight incident affecting their refrigeration and freezer systems.

The accounts differ on the number of Coop stores affected. Coop told the BBC that seven of its 800 Swedish stores were affected and that the “situation is currently contained and under control.” Al Jazeera reported that Coop told the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet six stores had been affected.

John Billow, head of Sweden’s national cybersecurity centre, confirmed on Monday that the centre was responding to multiple incidents involving store cooling systems, Al Jazeera reported, citing Reuters. The BBC said Belgium’s and Sweden’s national cybersecurity agencies were monitoring the situation. It was not clear who was behind the suspected attacks.

The incidents follow an attack last month on refrigeration systems at hundreds of French supermarkets. Al Jazeera reported that temperatures there climbed as high as 50C, spoiling food and causing fires at several stores. Al Jazeera also reported that Ahold Delhaize had notified Dutch police of a cybersecurity incident last month.