European supermarket freezers warm up following suspected cyber-attack

A suspected cyber-attack has disrupted refrigeration systems in dozens of supermarkets across six European nations, forcing retailers to dump millions of euros in spoiled food.

The digital breach altered settings on store chillers and freezers, pushing temperatures as high as 50 degrees Celsius. Stores in Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Estonia have all reported disruptions, according to local officials and company statements.

The incident heavily targeted Belgium and Luxembourg, where roughly 40 Delhaize branches experienced system failures. Additional Belgian retailers were impacted, with Carrefour reporting issues at 15 locations and Colruyt Group noting impacts at five Spar franchise locations. In Flanders, a single Delhaize store estimated its initial inventory losses alone exceeded 100,000 euros.

Refrigeration manufacturer Sabcobel, which maintains cooling networks for Delhaize, confirmed the disruption stemmed from unauthorized network interference. Chief executive Stephan Moelans told the Belga news agency that technicians laboured through the night to cut vulnerable machines from online networks. He stated that the breach forced evaporator coils into continuous defrost cycles, mimicking a similar digital assault that struck hundreds of French grocery stores in October. Moelans noted that resolving the issue permanently requires hardware adjustments rather than simple software patches, though routing controls through protected internet channels provides immediate mitigation.

In Sweden, several grocery branches operated by chains ICA and Coop experienced heating in their cooling sections. Representatives from ICA said the issue was confined to locations running separate from the main corporate infrastructure, while Coop stated that seven of its roughly 800 stores were affected before the issue was brought under control.

The disruption extended into Western and Northern Europe as well. Thirteen SuperValu stores suffered disruptions in Ireland, where parent firm Musgrave Group confirmed that a cyber incident had targeted a specific cooling equipment model. In the Netherlands, an estimated 17 businesses, including butcher shops and independent grocers, saw their systems compromised, according to Danish refrigeration producer Danfoss. Estonia also confirmed disruptions at a Selver grocery outlet alongside other local firms.

Responsibility for the coordinated disruption remains unconfirmed. Cyber-defence agencies in Belgium and Sweden stated they are closely tracking developments. Britain's National Cyber Security Centre announced it is coordinating with overseas counterparts and commercial specialists to evaluate the threat, though retailers in the United Kingdom have reported no related anomalies so far.