"Freezers Hit 50 Degrees" and Food Spoils... "Food Terror" Wreaks Havoc on European Supermarkets

Hacking attacks hit Belgium and Sweden after France
Hackers manipulate refrigeration systems at Delhaize and Carrefour
Security vulnerabilities exposed... food waste unavoidable

Following an attack in France last month, a series of hacking attacks this month targeted refrigeration and freezer systems at supermarkets across Europe, including in Belgium and Sweden. As the attacks laid bare vulnerabilities in food distribution networks, the European Union (EU) characterized them as deliberate acts intended to disrupt food supplies.

A refrigerator emptied by a hacking attack. Photo by AFP-Yonhap News

According to foreign media outlets including the Associated Press, The Guardian and DW on November 2 local time, EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen described the cyberattacks targeting supermarket refrigeration and freezer facilities across Europe as “a deliberate attempt to disrupt the EU’s food supply and undermine consumer confidence.”

He also expressed concern, saying, “Food security is not currently under threat, but food waste and the damage suffered by businesses are real problems.” The European Commission also said the incidents showed how significantly digital threats could affect people’s daily lives and called for stronger cybersecurity.

The attacks caused refrigerator and freezer temperatures to rise sharply at supermarkets in Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Estonia, Ireland and elsewhere. Hackers reportedly remotely manipulated refrigeration systems, switching them to defrost mode and raising the temperature inside.

Belgian supermarket chain Delhaize said refrigeration problems occurred at around 40 stores across Belgium and at some stores in Luxembourg between the night of November 1 and the early hours of November 2. Carrefour Belgium also reported similar damage at 15 of its more than 700 stores. At some stores, refrigerator and freezer temperatures rose to 15 degrees Celsius, prompting employees to report to work urgently or use refrigerated trucks to preserve food.

In Sweden, freezer temperatures also soared at some stores operated by major supermarket chains ICA and Coop. One ICA store said the temperature in its freezer rose to 50 degrees Celsius. Similar damage was also reported at at least 17 small grocery stores in the Netherlands and 13 supermarkets in Ireland. Supermarkets in Estonia and restaurants inside IKEA stores in Belgium were also affected.

The attacks resemble an incident in France last month, when temperatures in refrigeration systems at around 700 supermarkets soared to 50 degrees Celsius. Danish engineering company Danfoss said its refrigeration control systems were implicated in hacking incidents involving freezer systems at supermarkets in France and elsewhere in Europe.

Belgian prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into the incident. Sweden’s National Cybersecurity Center is also investigating a series of attacks targeting refrigeration and freezer systems at supermarkets in the country. Center chief John Billow said a recent investigation found numerous industrial control devices exposed to external attacks and stressed the need for security updates.

In France, where a similar attack occurred last month, the Paris prosecutor’s office has also opened a formal investigation. France’s National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) confirmed that control devices for refrigeration systems made by two other companies, in addition to Denmark’s Danfoss, were also targeted. However, no group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attacks so far, and it has not been confirmed whether the incidents in different countries were carried out by the same group.

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