Coordinated cyberattacks sabotage supermarket fridges across six European countries
Hackers seized refrigeration control systems at supermarket chains in Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and Estonia, switching evaporators to defrost mode and spoiling food. Affected chains include ICA, Coop, Ahold Delhaize, Colruyt and Carrefour; thirteen Musgrave SuperValu stores in Ireland were hit.
The attacks targeted refrigeration technology rather than payment or customer data, raising temperatures to roughly 50°C in affected units. Carrefour reported 15 of more than 700 Belgian stores hit, and Colruyt five Spar shops. The incident follows a series of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure across Europe, and will sharpen scrutiny of internet-connected building systems, which typically receive far less security investment than core IT networks. No group had claimed responsibility in the reports reviewed.