The Pentagon is investigating if rogue freezers are tied to cyberattacks in France. Another wave of hacks is hitting supermarkets across Europe

The Pentagon is investigating potential cyberattacks linked to refrigeration system outages in French supermarkets and U.S. military commissaries, according to reports. About 20 refrigeration systems in supermarkets Delhaize, Carrefour, and Spar experienced outages last weekend, according to Stephan Moelans, CEO of refrigeration installer Sabcobel.

Similar outages were reported in Swedish chains ICA and Coop, as well as in Luxembourg and Estonia. The French supermarket outages mirrored a hacking incident in August, which caused food spoilage and small fires in hundreds of French supermarkets, including 80 Carrefour locations, 24 Monoprix locations, and 150 Intermarche locations.

Swedish grocery store ICA Kvantum Sjöbo reported that hackers set their refrigerators and freezers to 50 degrees Celsius, leading to food disposal. The European Commission expressed concern over the impact of cyberattacks on services, businesses, and citizens' lives. The European Commission did not comment on the specific allegations, but emphasized the disruption caused by such attacks.

Cybersecurity experts believe refrigeration systems are becoming targets due to their increased connectivity and susceptibility to network breaches. The proximity of French and U.S. outages, coupled with the shared system architecture, has led to suspicions of a potential connection.