European supermarkets hit by major cyberattack on refrigeration systems

Supermarkets and food retailers across at least six European nations reported cyberattacks on their refrigeration systems on Monday, with hackers remotely raising temperatures in fridges and freezers to dangerous levels. Affected countries included Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Italy and Estonia, with incidents also reported in France and the Netherlands. A Swedish supermarket reported that its cooling units had been compromised and set to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), rendering perishable inventory worthless.

The attack was not limited to large retail chains. Independent butchers, delicatessens and smaller grocery stores also fell victim to the breach, suggesting the hackers may have exploited a common vulnerability in refrigeration management systems used across the retail sector. The total financial impact of the spoilage and operational disruptions was estimated in the millions of euros.

This latest incident represents a second wave of similar cyberattacks on European supermarket refrigeration infrastructure. An earlier attack had targeted hundreds of stores across France, Belgium and the Netherlands, prompting warnings among retailers about the vulnerability of their temperature-control systems to remote exploitation. European officials are investigating the incidents to determine the source of the attacks and assess the extent of the security breach affecting retail food storage systems.