Reported cyberattack: European supermarkets targeted, impacting Belgium, Estonia, Luxembourg and Sweden

Freezer problems across four countries

Supermarket chains in Belgium, Estonia, Luxembourg and Sweden reported abnormalities in freezer systems on Monday. The problems resembled an incident in France three weeks earlier, when unidentified actors were accused of taking control of refrigeration systems and switching them to defrost.

In Sweden, ICA and Coop said a limited number of stores were affected. Coop spokesman Carlos Cancino said six of about 800 Swedish stores had been impacted, while noting he had no information that the event was a cyberattack.

Chains assess the damage

ICA spokeswoman Helena Johansson said the company was examining what had happened and the extent of the disruption. Coop said some refrigerators and freezers had stopped working or were partly impaired.

Ahold Delhaize said an overnight IT incident affected freezers at several stores in Belgium and Luxembourg. Carrefour, Intermarche and Spar were also targeted, and Carrefour Belgium spokesman Mich Vergauwen said he believed the cause was a cyberattack.

Investigations and food concerns

Belgium's prosecutor's office opened a criminal investigation, according to a spokesperson quoted by Reuters. Sweden's National Cybersecurity Center chief John Billow said his department was also investigating. The disruption led stores to discard spoiled products and renewed concerns about food security. An ICA Kvantum store in Sjobo, southern Sweden, said its system temperatures had been remotely raised to 50 degrees Celsius.

Risks from connected equipment

Billow said Sweden had identified many operational technology devices exposed to security risks in recent weeks. He said the need to update or patch those devices had been made clear.

Such equipment includes refrigerators, heating systems, security cameras and alarm networks. Devices that were once largely mechanical are increasingly monitored or controlled remotely, creating opportunities for criminals to exploit security weaknesses.