Germany, Romania and UK hit as cyberattacks on supermarket refrigeration systems spread across Europe

Germany, Romania and the United Kingdom have fallen victim to recent cyberattacks on supermarket refrigeration systems, joining Italy and the Netherlands among the European nations affected. The attacks, which have prompted the European Union to warn of a coordinated effort to disrupt the bloc’s food supply chain, remain unattributed and their true impact uncertain.

While no evidence of state involvement has been suggested, EU officials have called for collective resilience against such incidents. EU spokesman Thomas Regnier stressed the need for a cohesive response from national authorities to safeguard against future cyber threats. Britain's national cybersecurity chief Richard Horne revealed that the issue impacted the entire food supply chain, with some retailers forced to discard spoiled stock.

The British Association of Independent Meat Suppliers reported instances of fridges defrosting and cold units overheating.

Italian supermarkets with outdated security systems suffered the brunt of the attacks, with around 20 outlets nationwide affected, according to Giuseppe Spadaro, director of a Coop supermarkets group in Sicily. The company estimated the damage at thousands of euros, forcing them to discard perishable goods. In Germany, four supermarket outlets were compromised, while Romania reported six affected outlets.

Romania’s National Cyber Security Directorate dismissed the possibility of state involvement, describing the attacks as "semi-amateurish."

Meanwhile, Coop supermarkets in Sweden reported their seven affected stores had returned to normal operations. The refrigeration equipment and freezers experienced issues due to their connection to older 4G networks. Coop's Carlos Cancinos announced a major initiative to modernize their store network, transitioning to 5G networks to address similar vulnerabilities. Belgium, a particularly hard-hit country, has initiated an investigation into the cyberattacks involving dozens of grocery stores across multiple chains.