TLDR
- Dozens of supermarkets in Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands and Estonia reported fridge and freezer problems on Monday.
- Freezer temperatures reportedly rose to 50C (122F), and local media say millions of euros of food was thrown away.
- Sabcobel’s CEO said evaporators were switched to defrost mode, the same method seen in France last month.
- No group has claimed responsibility, and authorities have not said who is behind the attacks.
- Cyber agencies in Belgium and Sweden are monitoring the incidents, and no cases have been reported in the UK.
Dozens of supermarkets across six European countries reported a suspected cyber-attack on their fridges and freezers early Monday. Shops in Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands and Estonia were affected.
Around 40 Delhaize stores in Belgium and Luxembourg were hit. Delhaize spokesperson Sarah De Meester said the company noticed temperature increases and is investigating.
How the Attack Worked
Stephan Moelans, CEO of Belgian refrigeration firm Sabcobel, told the Belga news agency the incident was a cyber-attack. He said the units’ evaporators were switched to defrost mode, which made them warm up.
This is believed to be the same method used in France last month. Police said hackers took control of cooling units at hundreds of French supermarkets, raising temperatures as high as 50C.
Moelans said his team worked all night and morning to disconnect the affected units from the network. Since the French attack, the company had been working to protect customers’ fridges.
He said the units need physical changes, not just software updates. The simplest fix, he said, is to manage fridges over a secure internet connection.
Freezer temperatures in several shops reportedly rose to 50C (122F). Local media say millions of euros worth of food has been thrown away.
A Delhaize branch in Hoeilaart told Het Laatste Nieuws it lost €100,000 (£83,500) of produce. The manager said that figure does not include losses from closing the shop.
Carrefour Belgium said about 15 of its 700 stores in Belgium were affected. Spokesman Mich Vergauwen said, “It’s a cyberattack, there is no other reason.”
Colruyt Group said five Spar shops in Belgium had their fridge systems attacked. Ikea Belgium said its Mons store was hit, and it was the only Ikea store affected because it uses a different service provider.
Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands and Estonia
In Sweden, several ICA and Coop stores were hit. ICA said a small number of stores operating outside its central network were affected.
An ICA store in Sjöbo said its fridges were set to 50 degrees overnight. The store was closed earlier and has now reopened.
Coop said seven of its 800 Swedish stores were affected and the situation is under control. Sweden’s cybersecurity centre head John Billow said the agency is working on several incidents.
In Ireland, 13 SuperValu stores were affected, according to The Irish Times. Owner Musgrave Group said the impact was limited to a specific model of refrigerator.
Danfoss told Dutch broadcaster NOS that cooling systems at at least 17 companies in the Netherlands were attacked overnight. They included butcher shops and small neighbourhood stores.
A Selver supermarket in Estonia was also affected, according to ERR. Technology supplier Kitman Coldtech said temperatures were set to 50C.
No group has claimed responsibility, and authorities have not said who is behind the attacks. Belgium’s and Sweden’s cyber agencies are monitoring the incident.
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre said it is working with international partners. No incidents have been reported in the UK.
