Following France, Supermarket Refrigeration Systems Attacked Across Europe, Forcing Widespread Food Disposal

Cyberattack Targets Refrigeration Equipment in Belgium and Elsewhere After France
Dozens of Stores, Including Delhaize and Carrefour, Affected

Following France, cyberattacks targeting refrigerators hit dozens of supermarkets in several European countries, including Belgium, Luxembourg and Sweden, resulting in the disposal of large quantities of fresh and frozen food. The hackers are believed to have remotely manipulated refrigeration equipment, causing the internal temperatures to rise sharply.

An empty refrigerator. AFP-Yonhap News

According to RTL Info, a French-language Belgian news outlet, dozens of stores operated by major retailers, including Delhaize, Carrefour, Intermarche and Spar, were hit by cyberattacks across Belgium between the night of November 1 and the early hours of November 2. The hackers remotely activated the defrost functions on refrigerators and freezers, raising their internal temperatures. The attacks used the same method as one in France in early October.

Delhaize said about 40 of its stores were affected. Fifteen Carrefour stores, 15 Intermarche stores and five Spar stores also suffered similar damage. At some stores, temperatures in refrigerators and freezers rose to 15 degrees Celsius, forcing the disposal of food.

Stephane Muelans, head of refrigeration equipment specialist Sabcobel, said the hackers had remotely activated defrost mode. The function removes frost from refrigeration equipment, and the process can produce hot air at around 40 degrees Celsius.

"It is difficult to resolve the problem with a simple software update alone," he said. "The solution is to manage refrigerators through a secure internet connection."

Ahold Delhaize, the Dutch parent company of Delhaize, also said that IT problems had affected refrigerators and freezers at dozens of its supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg, causing temperatures in the cooling systems to rise. The company is investigating the specific circumstances of the incident.

Refrigeration equipment at supermarkets in Sweden also malfunctioned on November 2. According to the local newspaper Aftonbladet, freezer temperatures rose sharply at some stores operated by major Swedish retailers ICA and Coop.

An ICA store in the Swedish town of Sjobo said on Facebook that freezer temperatures had soared to 50 degrees Celsius, raising the possibility of a cyberattack. ICA accounts for about one-third of Sweden's grocery market, while Coop has a market share of about 17%.

However, it has not yet been confirmed whether the problems in Sweden were connected to the attack in Belgium.

The attack was similar to the hacking of refrigeration equipment in France in October. At the time, a cyberattack raised the temperatures of refrigerators at supermarkets operated by several retailers to 50 degrees Celsius, affecting about 700 stores.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.