A new wave of cyberattacks disrupted the operation of supermarkets in Europe

A new wave of cyberattacks and suspicious malfunctions in the refrigeration equipment of supermarkets has been recorded in Europe. On the night of November 2, problems occurred in retail chains in Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Estonia, and Ireland. In some stores, hackers remotely changed temperature settings, causing refrigerators and freezers to stop maintaining the required conditions, and products had to be taken off sale.

Similar attacks in October had already caused significant damage to French supermarkets.

In Belgium, problems arose at approximately 40 Delhaize stores, 15 Carrefour supermarkets, and five Spar outlets. This was reported by The Brussels Times and other local media. Individual stores in Luxembourg were also affected.

In some outlets, refrigeration equipment unexpectedly switched to defrost mode. Due to the rise in temperature, employees were forced to remove meat, dairy products, and frozen goods from shelves. Some stores temporarily stopped serving customers.

The CEO of the Belgian company Sabcobel, which services refrigeration systems, Stefan Moolans, reported that technicians began responding to the incidents around one in the morning. Specialists disconnected the affected equipment from network access to prevent further interference.

In Sweden, the ICA and Coop chains reported problems. According to SVT, at one ICA store on the island of Öland, the temperature in the freezer equipment rose to 55 degrees. Products were spoiled, although the store continued to operate without selling chilled and frozen goods. Other outlets closed temporarily.

In Ireland, a cyberattack affected the refrigeration systems of 13 SuperValu supermarkets. According to The Irish Times, the company Musgrave, which owns the chain, confirmed the incident and explained that the problem relates to a specific model of refrigeration equipment.

In the affected Irish stores, chilled and frozen products were withdrawn from sale as a precaution. The supermarkets themselves continued to operate, and the company launched an investigation together with equipment suppliers and cybersecurity specialists.

In Estonia, hackers gained access to a computer that controls the refrigeration equipment of one Selver supermarket and set the temperature to 50 degrees. According to ERR, specialists detected the intrusion within about ten minutes and quickly restored normal system operation. Thanks to the rapid response, significant damage was avoided.

The current incidents are reminiscent of a large-scale attack on French supermarkets in October. Then, attackers gained remote access to refrigeration control systems and changed their settings. As a result, hundreds of stores experienced disruptions, and retail chains had to dispose of significant volumes of products.

One risk factor remains outdated controllers of refrigeration units connected to the internet for remote maintenance. Representatives of Sabcobel note that protecting some systems requires more than a simple software update – changes in network access organization are also necessary.

At present, the identities of the attackers have not been established. Despite the similar nature of the incidents, there is no confirmation that all attacks in different countries were carried out by the same group or were part of a coordinated operation. The extent of losses from the new wave of cyberattacks is still being assessed.