Cyberattacks hit several EU supermarkets’ freezers

Supermarkets in Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland and Estonia were on Monday hit by problems with freezers and fridges that were apparently caused by cyberattacks, forcing some to dispose of ruined food.

The problems follow a case last month in which attackers remotely took control of refrigeration systems in hundreds of supermarkets and independent stores across France, sending temperatures soaring.

Gustaf Nilsson, a spokesperson for Sweden’s ICA Group supermarket chain, told the TT news agency that “a limited number” of stores were affected overnight by an incident that affected refrigeration and freezing systems.

Refrigerated shelves were emptied following a refrigeration outage at a Proxy Delhaize store in Maleizen, Belgium, on Monday.

Photo: Bloomberg

He declined to give a specific number.

An ICA Kvantum store in Sjobo, Sweden, said its fridges and freezers had been hacked and set to 50oC. In a Facebook post, it said staff were discarding affected products.

The Coop chain said that six of its stores in central Sweden had problems with their fridges and freezers, TT reported, though it did not immediately have details.

A manager of a Proxy Delhaize store disposes of fresh and frozen spoiled produce following a refrigeration outage in Maleizen, Belgium, on Monday.

Photo: Bloomberg

The Delhaize chain said that an “IT incident” had affected refrigeration systems in several dozen of its stores, mostly in Belgium, but also a few in neighboring Luxembourg.

“In the affected stores, the range of fresh and frozen products is temporarily somewhat limited. Our distribution centers are operating normally, and there has been no disruption to deliveries to our stores,” spokesperson Sarah De Meester said.

Carrefour said a cyberattack targeting refrigeration systems had affected 15 of its more than 700 stores in Belgium, describing the impact as “extremely limited.”

In Estonia, a refrigeration technology company said attackers had accessed a computer controlling a client’s refrigeration system and raised the temperature to 50oC, public broadcaster ERR reported.

Kitman Coldtech chief executive Jann Mutso declined to identify the store, but said the attack was addressed within minutes and caused no significant damage. The Selver supermarket chain said one of its outlets was affected.

In Ireland, refrigeration systems in 13 SuperValu stores were affected by the “cyber incident,” parent company Musgrave Group said.

A spokesperson said chilled and frozen products were removed from sale as a precaution.

On Monday afternoon, the company said the incident had been “fully resolved” and “replenishment of chilled and frozen ranges in the affected stores is well under way.”