A new wave of cyberattacks disrupted supermarket refrigeration systems in seven European countries on Monday, November 2. The intrusions remotely changed temperatures in refrigerators and freezers in Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia, Finland, Belgium and Luxembourg, prompting stores to discard food. The incidents came less than a month after a similar attack affected more than 500 stores in France.
In Belgium, Carrefour reported problems at around 15 of its 700 stores. An IKEA store in Mons also had freezer temperatures altered remotely, while refrigerators at butcher chain De Laet & Van Haver in Antwerp were set to reach as high as 18°C overnight. The chain’s founder, Luc De Laet, told Reuters that the attackers had accessed the temperature-recording system and said the business had to throw away food.
Other Belgian retailers also reported disruptions. Ahold Delhaize said stores in Belgium and Luxembourg were affected, while Colruyt Group reported compromised refrigeration systems at five Spar locations. Intermarché reported incidents at about 15 stores.
The attacks also affected seven Coop stores in Sweden. Swedish retailer ICA found a freezer that had reached 50°C. In Ireland, wholesaler Musgrave said 13 SuperValu locations had to remove chilled and frozen products from sale. Incidents were also reported at Kesko in Finland, Selver in Estonia and stores in smaller Dutch cities.
Some affected equipment uses temperature-control technology from Danish manufacturer Danfoss, which was also present in supermarkets hit in France in October. The company said it was working with customers to implement security fixes.
SentinelOne researcher Tom Hegel said attacks of this kind could be linked to extortion, political motives or state-sponsored operations. He noted that the lack of financial demands in the recent incidents could point to sabotage. Hegel also said it can be difficult to identify who is behind intrusions into connected systems, particularly when attackers access exposed control panels.
No group has claimed responsibility. Katrien Eggers, a spokesperson for Belgium’s Centre for Cybersecurity, said the perpetrators might never be identified and warned that artificial intelligence could make it easier for sophisticated actors to exploit vulnerabilities in IT systems.
The incidents have sharpened European concerns about threats to critical infrastructure. European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen described the attacks as a deliberate attempt to disrupt the food supply chain and undermine consumer confidence.
Sources: Olhar Digital.