Supermarket operators in several European countries reported overnight problems with refrigeration and freezer systems on Monday, prompting suspicions of cyberattacks and precautionary removals of chilled and frozen food. Incidents were reported in Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland and Estonia, but authorities have not established whether the cases are connected or who may be responsible.
The impact varied by retailer. Delhaize said several dozen stores, mostly in Belgium, had been affected. Carrefour Belgium reported limited disruption at 15 of its more than 700 outlets, while Colruyt Group reported problems at five stores. Sweden’s Coop said six locations were affected, and ICA reported a limited number of stores with refrigeration issues. In Ireland, 13 SuperValu stores were affected; the operator said the incident had been resolved by Monday afternoon and restocking was under way.
In Estonia, one Selver outlet was affected after a computer controlling its refrigeration system was accessed. The technology provider said the incident was contained within minutes and caused no significant damage. Some systems reportedly reached temperatures as high as 50 degrees Celsius, while retailers removed products as a precaution where the cold chain could not be assured.
A separate incident in the Netherlands affected refrigeration equipment at at least 17 businesses, mainly smaller food retailers and butcher shops. Major Dutch supermarket chains were not reported to be affected in that case. The equipment supplier Danfoss said some of the affected systems were not connected through a secure network and still used default passwords.
The reports follow a similar incident in France last month, when attackers remotely manipulated refrigeration systems at hundreds of supermarkets and independent stores, leading to food losses and some fires. Connected refrigeration controls are commonly used for remote monitoring and maintenance, making their security an operational concern for retailers. Investigations are continuing, and there is not yet enough evidence to attribute the latest incidents to a specific actor or to link every case.
