Supermarket freezers across Europe hit by second cyber-attack

Supermarket chains in at least seven European countries reported that temperatures in their refrigerators and freezers soared overnight due to a suspected cyber-attack.

This new incident follows a massive attack in France last month that compromised hundreds of cooling units, causing tens of millions of euros in losses.

• Retailers in Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Sweden experienced refrigeration system failures.
• Attackers remotely overrode settings, switching evaporators to defrost mode and pushing temperatures as high as 50C (122F).
• Cybersecurity experts noted an absence of financial extortion demands, pointing toward intentional sabotage.
• Affected stores scrambled to disconnect installations and discard spoiled fresh and frozen goods.

Widespread Impact Across Europe

Retail chains on Monday reported sudden malfunctions in their cooling systems. Sweden's Coop and ICA confirmed that a limited number of stores were affected, with individual locations reporting completely destroyed stock due to the overnight breach.

In Belgium and Luxembourg, Dutch retailer Ahold Delhaize reported dozens of impacted stores. Similar technical disruptions were confirmed by Colruyt, Intermarché, Carrefour Belgium, Spar, and an Ikea store in Mons, leading to precautionary removal of food items.

Technical Vulnerabilities and Methods

Cybersecurity experts emphasize that the retail sector is an easy target because supermarket chains operate massive estates of refrigeration controllers, building management systems, and point-of-sale equipment connected to the internet.

Patrick Lamplmair of Tributech noted that attackers will continue using this method because it is cheap and the damage is immediate. Thousands of these controllers still have known, unfixed flaws and remain reachable from the public internet.

Context from the Previous French Attack

The current incidents echo a sophisticated attack in France last month where hackers hijacked cooling controllers in up to 700 supermarkets, raising temperatures to 50C and causing widespread food loss and localized fires.

Those attacks primarily targeted controllers supplied by Danish company Danfoss, which subsequently stated it had identified security flaws last year and long recommended updates. French authorities and national cybersecurity agency Ansii launched formal investigations into the matter.

Sabotage Risks and Business Implications

Security researchers, such as Tom Hegel of SentinelOne, state that the lack of financial demands points toward political motivation or state-level hybrid sabotage tactics amid heightened geopolitical tensions.

For supermarket operators, these coordinated attacks serve as a critical warning to audit operational technology, apply software patches, and isolate vulnerable refrigeration controllers from direct internet exposure.