Cyberattacks Hit Supermarket Freezers Across Europe, Forcing Mass Food Disposal
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Apparent cyberattacks sent refrigerator and freezer temperatures soaring at supermarkets in at least three European countries on Monday, forcing major grocery chains to throw out large quantities of spoiled food.
A wave of apparent cyberattacks struck supermarket refrigeration systems across at least three European countries on Monday, causing temperature spikes that forced grocery chains to discard spoiled food. Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize and Belgian chain Colruyt both reported overnight IT incidents that sent temperatures surging inside fridges and freezers at dozens of stores in Belgium and Luxembourg. Swedish chains ICA and Coop reported similar problems; one ICA store in Sjobo, southern Sweden, posted on Facebook that its units had "been hacked" and temperatures set to 50°C (122°F). Coop said six of its roughly 800 Swedish stores were affected and had to throw out food.
The CEO of Belgian refrigeration company Sabcobel, whose networked systems are used by Delhaize and other chains, told Belgium's Belga news agency that attackers had switched evaporator units into defrost mode. "We began mobilizing technicians at 1 a.m. to get the situation under control," said CEO Stephan Moelans, noting that many units would require physical modifications to address the vulnerability.
The incidents come less than three weeks after a cyberattack on October 12 hit hundreds of French supermarket stores belonging to E. Leclerc, Intermarché, and Cooperative U, in which refrigeration control systems from Danish manufacturer Danfoss were targeted. No group has claimed responsibility for any of the attacks. EU food and agriculture commissioner Christophe Hansen said after the French incident that "food security requires more attention at all levels," calling the exploitation of vulnerabilities in networked essential systems a new "reality."
