Cyberattacks Target European Grocery Chains, Impacting Refrigeration Systems

Grocery chains in at least three European countries have faced surprising temperature increases in their refrigerator and freezer units, leading to food spoilage. This marks the second such incident in under a month, raising alarms about potential cyberattacks on interconnected systems.

In Belgium and Luxembourg, Ahold Delhaize and Colruyt reported IT incidents that caused temperature surges in many of their stores. Similarly, Swedish chains ICA and Coop experienced similar issues, with one explicitly citing a cyberattack. Previously, French chains like E. Leclerc and Intermarché also reported a cyberattack that caused extreme temperature hikes, up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit, in their outlets.

Ahold, a Dutch grocery chain, alerted the Netherlands police to suspicious activity in its infrastructure back in October. By Monday, they noticed temperature rises in cooling systems, according to Delhaize spokesperson Sarah De Meester. Stephan Moelans, CEO of Belgian refrigeration company Sabcobel, confirmed a cyberattack was responsible for the defrost mode switch in fridge units.

“We began mobilizing technicians at 1 a.m. to get the situation under control,” Stephan Moelans said. “We’ve been working all night and morning to disconnect the affected units from the network.”

Swedish supermarkets also faced system failures on Monday, compelling them to discard spoiled food. Although both ICA and Coop reported issues, they lacked immediate confirmation of cyberattacks on their systems. Helena Johansson from ICA indicated ongoing evaluations to assess the extent of damage and facilitate store recovery.

While Coop noted disruptions at six outlets, spokesman Carlos Cancino said some units either stopped or partially functioned. No signs of a cyberattack have yet been detected. These incidents closely follow the October 12 cyberattack on French supermarket refrigeration systems, executed through Danish manufacturer Danfoss’s control systems.

The European Union food security commissioner, Christophe Hansen, highlighted the need for enhanced security measures in food supply chains, especially as modern vulnerabilities in essential systems are exploited. Although the French incident triggered waste and fires, no group has claimed responsibility for these hacks so far.