Shop freezers in seven European countries hit by cyber-attack

Supermarkets across Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Estonia experienced issues with refrigeration and freezing systems on Monday, suspected to be the result of cyberattacks. This follows a similar incident in France last month, where attackers gained control over refrigeration systems in hundreds of supermarkets and independent stores, causing temperatures to rise.

In Sweden, ICA Group, a supermarket chain, reported that some of its stores faced problems with freezers and fridges. The ICA Kvantum branch in Sjöbo shared on its Facebook page that its fridges and freezers had been hacked and set to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), prompting the company to discard the affected items.

Coop, another supermarket chain in central Sweden, informed that six of its stores had issues with their refrigeration units. Delhaize, a Belgian chain, revealed that an "IT incident" affected refrigeration systems in several dozen of its stores, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg. The company stated that while the affected stores had a limited range of fresh and frozen products temporarily, their distribution centers were functioning normally without any disruptions to deliveries to their stores.

Carrefour, a supermarket chain in Belgium, reported that a "cyberattack targeting refrigeration installations only had an extremely limited impact," affecting 15 of its more than 700 stores. In Estonia, Kitman Coldtech, a company that manufactures the affected technology, said that one of its clients experienced a cyberattack where attackers accessed a computer controlling refrigeration and raised the temperature to 50 degrees Celsius. The attack was reportedly dealt with within minutes, resulting in no significant damage.

Selver, another supermarket chain, also reported that one of its outlets was affected by the cyberattacks. The attacks in France were believed to target older systems, as reported by the Associated Press.