Hackers raised temperatures in supermarket refrigeration systems across at least 11 European countries, spoiling tonnes of food, according to Al Jazeera. The EU has promised a collective response, and no group or individual has claimed responsibility for the supermarket fridge cyberattacks in Europe.
Officials said hackers raised the temperatures of refrigeration systems at supermarkets in Germany, Romania and the United Kingdom during Monday’s attacks. Al Jazeera reported that problems were also reported on Monday in at least nine EU countries: Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden.
In Belgium, dozens of stores across several grocery chains reported refrigeration failures, and federal prosecutors opened an investigation. In Italy, about 20 supermarkets were affected, according to Al Jazeera. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office said the incident had a ‘limited’ impact.
In Sweden, Coop said refrigerators and freezers at seven stores had been connected to ‘old 4G networks’, and the stores had resumed normal operations, Al Jazeera reported. Danfoss, a Danish maker of refrigeration controls whose systems were targeted again, recommended that the systems not be directly accessible from the internet.
EU spokesperson Thomas Regnier said the attacks were ‘not isolated incidents’. He said EU agencies were talking with national authorities to develop a joint response, according to Al Jazeera.
The attacks follow a cyberattack that hit hundreds of supermarkets across France in October, and the second wave mirrored it, according to Al Jazeera. Euronews places the French attack last month. Euronews also cites research by the security firm Forescout finding nearly 13,000 refrigeration control services openly reachable online in 99 countries. Euronews notes that supermarket refrigeration systems are often connected to the internet so contractors can monitor and repair them remotely. The sources do not link the Forescout figures to these specific attacks.
The attacks’ nature is disputed. EU food and agriculture commissioner Christophe Hansen called them a ‘deliberate attempt to disrupt our food supply chain’, according to Euronews. Romanian cybersecurity director Dan Cimpean said ‘it seems semi-amateurish’ and that Romania does not suspect a state actor, according to Al Jazeera and Euronews.
The motive remains unknown. No details of the EU’s joint response or its timeline have been reported. Belgian federal prosecutors are investigating, and Italy’s government says relevant bodies remain on high alert.
Most of the key facts come from Al Jazeera, with Euronews adding context. The Belgian and Italian store counts are not confirmed in independent reporting, and the figures come from officials and companies. No response from the attackers has been reported, and Coop’s and Danfoss’s statements are reported second-hand.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.