European grocery chains' freezers, refrigerators targeted in apparent cyberattacks

Temperature settings in refrigeration systems of grocery stores across several European countries have been altered in what appears to be a series of cyberattacks. The incidents have caused food spoilage and left smaller stores in Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Estonia affected, according to statements from companies and officials.

In Sweden, grocery chains ICA and Coop reported that some of their stores were targeted, with Coop stating that seven out of over 800 stores were impacted. The incident occurred ahead of a planned system upgrade, which had been in the works due to a similar issue in French grocery stores last month, where hundreds of stores had their fridges and freezers hacked, setting temperatures to 50 degrees Celsius. Most of the systems targeted were using outdated software.

Belgian supermarket chains Delhaize and Carrefour confirmed they were affected, with Delhaize describing it as an IT incident. Currently, 15 out of Carrefour's 700 stores are impacted, though all stores remain open as only a few refrigeration units have been affected.

Musgrave, the company that owns Irish grocery chain SuperValu, reported that 13 of its stores were affected by a suspected cyberattack targeting a specific refrigeration model. In the Netherlands, Danfoss, a refrigeration company, reported that 17 facilities using its systems were affected, including frozen product storage and butcher shops. Danfoss systems were also affected in France during the month of August, similar to the recent European attacks.

Several military bases in the U.S. also experienced similar cyberattacks in August, with at least six commissaries affected. The Pentagon is currently investigating the incidents.