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Hackers Target European Supermarkets, Raise Freezer Temperatures
· Confirmed
In Short: Hackers raised temperatures in refrigeration systems at supermarkets in at least 11 European countries, spoiling food worth millions of euros.
Hackers raised temperatures in refrigeration systems at supermarkets in at least 11 European countries, including Germany, Romania, and the United Kingdom, on Monday, according to officials.
The attacks affected refrigeration units in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, and Germany, with some stores experiencing temperatures as high as 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).
In Sweden, the ICA Kvantum branch in Sjöbo reported that its fridges and freezers had been hacked and set to 50 degrees Celsius, while six Coop stores in central Sweden also faced issues with their refrigeration systems.
In Belgium, Carrefour said a cyberattack had affected 15 of its more than 700 stores, describing the impact as “extremely limited.” SuperValu, Ireland’s third-largest supermarket chain, reported a cyber-incident affecting refrigeration systems in 13 of its 223 shops.
Intermarché and its Netto brand were targeted in at least 300 shops, along with more than 100 Cooperative U outlets, according to retailers.
The European Union warned that the attacks were “not isolated” and promised a collective response, emphasizing the need for national and international measures to prevent such incidents.
Danfoss, a Danish maker of refrigeration controls, confirmed its products were involved, as they were in a similar attack on French supermarkets three weeks earlier.
Shoppers at the ICA Baronen store in central Stockholm found freezers switched off, while in Mons, Belgium, IKEA reported a cyber incident affecting refrigerators and freezers.
Supermarket chains across Europe have been working to restore normal operations and disconnect affected installations from the network.
What this adds
The attacks have raised concerns about the vulnerability of connected infrastructure in supermarkets.
No state actor was suspected in the attacks, according to officials.
Background
Hackers remotely raised temperatures in refrigeration units at supermarkets in seven European countries, spoiling food worth millions of euros.
Supermarket chains in at least seven European countries have said the temperatures of refrigerators and freezers in some of their shops soared overnight to as high as 50C (122F), echoing a cyber-attack last month that caused millions of euros of damage in France.
What's confirmed
- The attacks, reported on Monday, affected supermarkets in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Germany and Sweden.
- The ICA Kvantum branch in Sjöbo in southern Sweden wrote on its Facebook page that its fridges and freezers had been hacked and set to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).
- The Coop chain said that six of its stores in central Sweden had problems with their fridges and freezers, TT reported, though it didn’t immediately have details.
- Supermarket chains in at least seven European countries have said the temperatures of refrigerators and freezers in some of their shops soared overnight to as high as 50C (122F), echoing a cyber-attack last month that caused millions of euros of damage in France.
- Ireland’s third-largest supermarket chain, SuperValu, said refrigeration systems limited to a specific model in 13 of its 223 shops had been affected by a cyber-incident, and that chilled and frozen products had been removed from sale.
- The Colruyt and Intermarché supermarket chains also said they had been hit by technical problems affecting fridges in five and 15 of their shops respectively, and Carrefour Belgium reported disruption in about 15 of its 700 shops.
What's still developing
- Giuseppe Spadaro, director of a group that runs Coop supermarkets in Sicily, said four of its 300 stores were hit, causing thousands of euros in damage.
- “We can’t adjust the temperatures, we can’t change them. Hot air is blowing into the freezers. Everything is ruined,” said Rickard Nilsson, head of an Ica shop in Sjöbo, southern Sweden.
- EU warns of ‘deliberate attempt’ to disrupt food supply chain after hackers trigger overnight temperature spikes, spoiling stock A suspected cyberattack hit grocery stores across at least nine European countries on Monday, prompting the EU to warn of a deliberate attempt to disrupt the bloc’s food supply chain.