Europe faces another wave of grocery store freezer hacks as retailers investigate
Stores report cooling problems
Several European grocery chains reported elevated temperatures in refrigeration systems. Some retailers described the events as cyberattacks, while another called its case an IT incident. Coop spokespersons said unauthorized people accessed and altered cooling equipment at a small share of its stores. Seven of the Swedish chain’s more than 800 locations were affected overnight and into Monday.
Gustaf Nilsson, speaking for ICA Sverige, said an overnight incident affected a small number of the retailer’s stores. The Sjöbo branch said on Facebook that its refrigerators and freezers had been hacked and set to 122 degrees Fahrenheit; the store closed in the morning and later reopened.
Reports span several countries
A Delhaize manager in Belgium had to throw away the contents of her fridges and freezers, RTL reported. Kitman Coldtech, which supplies refrigeration technology, said it responded to a cyber incident involving a retail refrigeration system in Estonia.
Coop said its teams were assessing what happened and would provide more information when possible. The reports do not establish how many stores were affected across Europe overall.
French attacks offer a comparison
The latest reports resemble a major cyberattack last month on internet-connected refrigeration systems at hundreds of French supermarkets. An Intermarché director in Normandy told Business Insider that temperatures in the store’s fridges and freezers were remotely raised to as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit.
The director said the incident led to $112,000 in discarded food. Costs across France were expected to reach tens of millions of euros, and the Army Criminal Investigation Division said it was working with investigators to assess the incident’s full extent. No connection has been established between the recent European incidents, the French attacks and US military freezer failures.
Key points
- Coop said seven of its more than 800 Swedish stores were affected overnight and into Monday.
- ICA Sverige reported an overnight incident at a small number of its locations.
- Reports also involved a Belgian Delhaize manager and a refrigeration system in Estonia.
- No link has been established to the French supermarket attacks or US military freezer failures.