Cyberattackers Hacked Freezers Across Europe, Ruining Stock in Four Countries

Supermarket chains across Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Estonia reported failures in their refrigeration systems on Monday. The incidents appear to be the result of coordinated cyberattacks that allowed remote access to temperature controls. Several retailers confirmed that they had to discard perishable food that spoiled during the outages.

In Sweden, ICA Group spokesperson Gustaf Nilsson told news agency TT that a limited number of stores were affected overnight. He did not specify how many locations experienced the failure. The ICA Kvantum branch in Sjöbo stated on Facebook that its units had been hacked and set to 50 degrees Celsius. The store said it was working to remove the damaged items from shelves.

The Coop chain reported that six stores in central Sweden faced similar issues, according to TT. In Belgium and Luxembourg, the Delhaize chain described an IT incident that affected refrigeration systems in several dozen locations. Spokesperson Sarah De Meester said the range of fresh and frozen products was temporarily limited in those stores. She confirmed that distribution centers operated normally and deliveries were uninterrupted.

Carrefour in Belgium stated that the cyberattack targeting only its refrigeration installations had an extremely limited impact. The chain reported that 15 of its more than 700 stores were affected. In Estonia, public broadcaster ERR reported that a technology provider identified one client as a victim. Attackers accessed a computer controlling the refrigeration and turned the temperature up to 50 degrees Celsius.

Jann Mutso, CEO of Kitman Coldtech, said the company responded to the Estonian attack within minutes. He declined to name the specific store but noted that there was no significant damage to the equipment. The Selver chain confirmed that one of its outlets was among the affected sites.

These incidents follow a similar attack last month in France. Attackers then remotely took control of cooling systems in hundreds of supermarkets and independent stores. Temperatures in those French stores rose sharply, causing widespread spoilage across the country.

The current wave of attacks spans four nations and targets specific hardware rather than general data networks. Retailers in all four countries have confirmed that the primary issue is temperature control failure. No major disruptions to supply chains were reported beyond the immediate loss of inventory.