New cyberattack on supermarket fridges sweeps across Europe
XLP•Cyberattacks raised temperatures in refrigeration and freezer units at supermarkets across Europe, affecting stores in Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg and Ireland. Musgrave said 13 SuperValu stores were affected, Carrefour reported 15 stores in Belgium, and one butcher estimated €15,000 in meat losses.
1. Stores report refrigeration attacks
A hacking attack on supermarket refrigeration systems spread across Europe on Monday, affecting grocers including Ahold Delhaize and Colruyt in Belgium and Luxembourg, as well as ICA and Coop in Sweden. IKEA also said one store in Belgium was affected. Some stores removed food from sale or reported losses after refrigerator and freezer temperatures rose.
2. Incidents across several chains
Colruyt Group said five Belgian Spar shops had their fridge systems attacked. Musgrave said systems in 13 SuperValu stores in Ireland were affected, while Carrefour reported that 15 of its 700 stores in Belgium were affected. Coop said seven of its 800 stores were affected.
3. Authorities and suppliers respond
Belgium's Centre for Cybersecurity said it was unknown who was behind the attack and that it might never be determined. Some affected units used temperature-control technology from Danfoss, which said it was working with customers on fixes. The incidents followed a similar attack in France last month; Reuters could not establish whether the attacks were linked.
