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European Supermarkets Hit by Suspected Cyberattacks
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In Short: Grocery stores in several European countries are grappling with cyberattacks that have affected refrigerator and freezer systems, leading to significant disruptions and food spoilage.
Grocery stores in several European countries are grappling with cyberattacks that have affected refrigerator and freezer systems, leading to significant disruptions and food spoilage. The attacks, which appear to be similar to incidents reported last month in France, have impacted stores in Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, and Sweden, among others.
In Ireland, Musgrave, the parent company of SuperValu, told Irish broadcaster RTÉ that 13 stores had been affected by a suspected cyberattack targeting a specific refrigeration model. Carrefour, a major European retailer, reported that 15 of its 700 stores were affected, but all stores remained open as the impact was limited to a few refrigeration units.
Belgian supermarket chains Delhaize and Carrefour also reported IT incidents affecting their refrigeration systems. Delhaize said an 'IT incident' had affected refrigeration systems in several dozen of its stores, mostly in Belgium but also a few in neighboring Luxembourg.
The attacks altered the settings and functioning of refrigerator and freezer units, setting temperatures to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), causing food spoilage. In Sweden, ICA Group supermarket chain spokesperson Gustaf Nilsson told news agency TT that 'a limited number' of stores were affected overnight by an incident that impacted refrigeration and freezing systems.
Sabcobel, a Belgian company that manufactures some of the affected refrigerators, said the units' evaporators were switched to defrost mode, causing them to warm up. This method is believed to be the same used in last month's incident that hit hundreds of French supermarkets.
The UK's National Cyber Security Centre said it was working with international partners and industry to 'fully understand details of an incident'. The European Union food and agriculture commissioner, Christophe Hansen, emphasized the need for more attention to food security and the exploitation of vulnerabilities in networked systems.
What this adds
Despite some discrepancies in the exact number of affected stores and the specific models impacted, all reports agreed that the attacks caused significant disruptions to refrigeration systems across multiple European countries.
Background
Despite some discrepancies in the exact number of affected stores and the specific models impacted, all reports agreed that the attacks caused significant disruptions to refrigeration systems across multiple European countries.
What's confirmed
- In Sweden, ICA Group supermarket chain spokesperson Gustaf Nilsson told news agency TT that “a limited number” of stores were affected overnight by an incident that affected refrigeration and freezing systems.
What's still developing
- Several military bases in the U.S. experienced similar cyberattacks in August.
- Most of the systems targeted then were reportedly using outdated software.
- Fridges and freezes in stores from Belgium to Sweden experienced temperature spikes overnight, echoing last month’s incident in France A hacking attack on European supermarkets spread across the continent on Monday, hitting fridges and freezers from Sweden to Belgium and forcing stores to throw away food in an incident that echoed a similar attack in France last month.
- “The Russian hybrid threat against Europeans and against France has intensified,” Macron said after meeting French political leaders ahead of next year’s election and before traveling to the U.N. General Assembly next week.
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