Cyberattack Hits European Supermarkets as Freezers Fail and Thousands of Euros in Food Are Lost

A wave of cyberattacks targeting supermarket refrigeration systems has disrupted grocery stores across Europe, forcing retailers to discard thousands of euros worth of food after hackers remotely interfered with refrigerators and freezers.

The latest incidents affected major supermarket groups in Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg and Ireland on Monday, while furniture retailer IKEA also reported disruption at one of its Belgian stores. Several outlets experienced rising temperatures in their cooling systems, putting chilled and frozen products at risk.

Among the affected retailers were Ahold Delhaize, Colruyt, Sweden’s ICA and Coop, and Ireland’s Musgrave. The incidents have raised concerns about the vulnerability of essential food infrastructure as supermarkets increasingly rely on internet-connected equipment.

The attacks also follow a similar incident in France last month, when hackers reportedly took control of refrigeration systems at hundreds of supermarkets, causing food losses and fires.

Swedish Supermarkets Discover Freezers at Dangerous Temperatures

The incident caused significant damage at an ICA franchise supermarket in Stockholm, where employees discovered that refrigeration systems had been compromised overnight.

Engla Ingwall, the store’s sales manager, told Reuters that the attack occurred at approximately 2 a.m. local time but went unnoticed for several hours.

She said the store’s freezers had reached temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius, leaving the frozen products unusable.

“Everything is destroyed,” Ingwall said while describing the damage.

A spokesperson for privately owned ICA confirmed that a limited number of stores had experienced an overnight incident affecting their refrigeration and freezer systems.

Swedish supermarket chain Coop also reported that seven of its approximately 800 stores were affected by unauthorised interference with refrigeration equipment.

The company confirmed that Danfoss, a Danish manufacturer of temperature-control technology, was among its suppliers.

Belgium and Ireland Report Major Retail Disruptions

Several supermarket operators in Belgium and Luxembourg also reported problems with their cooling systems.

Colruyt Group confirmed that five of its stores experienced attacks targeting refrigeration equipment. The company also operates Spar supermarkets in Belgium through a franchise arrangement.

Carrefour, which suffered significant disruption during last month’s incident in France, reported that 15 of its 700 Belgian stores were affected.

IKEA also confirmed that one of its stores in Belgium experienced an impact from the latest incident. The retailer said it could not rule out disruptions at additional locations.

In Ireland, food wholesaler Musgrave reported that refrigeration problems affected systems in 13 SuperValu stores.

The company said its monitoring systems detected the issue, allowing staff to respond immediately. However, some chilled and frozen products had to be removed from sale as a precaution.

Musgrave said its investigation remained ongoing.

France Experienced Similar Cyberattack Last Month

The latest incidents have intensified concerns because they resemble a previous attack in France, where hackers reportedly gained control of cooling equipment at hundreds of supermarkets.

The attacks caused fires and significant food losses, highlighting the potential consequences of compromising equipment responsible for maintaining safe temperatures.

Ahold Delhaize also reported a cybersecurity incident to police last month.

However, investigators have not established whether the incidents in France and other European countries are connected.

No group has publicly claimed responsibility for the attacks, and Reuters reported that it could not independently determine who was behind Monday’s incidents.

Read more: Tucker Carlson Warns Trump Could Consider Nuclear Strike on Iran Amid Netanyahu Pressure

Belgium’s Centre for Cybersecurity spokesperson Katrien Eggers expressed concern about the growing number of cyber incidents and the potential role of artificial intelligence in exploiting security weaknesses.

She warned that sophisticated attackers could use AI to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in information technology systems.

European Commission Warns About Food Supply Chain Security

The European Commission has also expressed concern about the attacks, warning that cyber incidents targeting supermarkets could undermine public confidence in food distribution networks.

EU Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen said the repeated attacks appeared to represent deliberate attempts to disrupt food supply chains and weaken consumer confidence.

He described the recurrence of such incidents as deeply concerning and called attention to the need to take digital threats seriously.

The incidents have also renewed discussions about the security of equipment that businesses traditionally considered ordinary mechanical infrastructure.

Modern supermarkets depend on remotely monitored refrigeration units, heating systems, security cameras, alarms, access controls and other connected devices. Although these technologies improve operational efficiency, they can also create additional entry points for cybercriminals.

Cybersecurity Experts Warn Retailers Are Vulnerable

Tom Hegel, a researcher at cybersecurity company SentinelOne, said retail businesses were attractive targets because large supermarket chains operated extensive networks of connected equipment.

These include refrigeration controllers, building management systems, electronic door access panels and payment terminals.

He explained that attacks against such systems could be motivated by financial extortion, political objectives or state-sponsored operations.

However, the absence of financial demands in recent incidents has raised questions about whether the attacks could involve sabotage rather than conventional cybercrime.

Hegel also warned that identifying the attackers could prove difficult because someone accessing an exposed control panel might leave very little digital evidence.

He said the technical traces left by different types of attackers could look remarkably similar to investigators.

Belgian Butcher Reports Thousands of Euros in Losses

The financial consequences have extended beyond major supermarket chains.

Luc De Laet, founder and owner of Belgian butchery chain De Laet & Van Haver, said an employee woke him at approximately 3:30 a.m. to report problems at one of his stores south of Antwerp.

When he arrived, he discovered that refrigerator temperatures had climbed as high as 18 degrees Celsius.

De Laet estimated that the incident destroyed approximately €15,000 worth of meat.

He said the attackers appeared to have accessed the system responsible for monitoring and recording temperatures, allowing them to change settings remotely.

The incident left him frustrated by the amount of food that had to be discarded.

De Laet also contacted police, although he said he did not know whether authorities had opened an investigation.

The latest attacks have exposed the growing risks associated with digitally connected food infrastructure. While investigators continue examining the incidents, European retailers face mounting pressure to strengthen cybersecurity protections for refrigeration systems and other essential equipment.