European supermarkets hit by new fridge cyberattack
- On Monday, November 2, 2026, a suspected cyberattack compromised refrigeration systems at SuperValu, ICA, Coop, and Delhaize supermarkets across Ireland, Sweden, and Belgium, forcing stores to discard large quantities of fresh and frozen food.
- This disruption mirrors large-scale attacks reported last month in France, where hackers seized control of cooling units; technical analysis suggests vulnerabilities in Danfoss equipment running outdated firmware allowed unauthorized remote access.
- At least 40 Delhaize locations and 13 SuperValu stores reported compromised cooling units, with temperatures reaching 50°C. One Swedish store manager said, "Everything is ruined" after discovering spoiled merchandise.
- Supermarket chains are investigating the breach and have disconnected affected systems from the internet to contain damage. "As a precaution, chilled and frozen products in the affected stores have been removed from sale," Musgrave Group said.
- These incidents reveal security risks in connected retail infrastructure, where remote access capabilities create vulnerabilities for attackers. Store chains must update legacy firmware on operational technology devices to prevent further unauthorized manipulation.
263 Articles
263 Articles
A similar attack hit France two weeks ago, but the impact of this episode is considered "measured" at this stage.
Supermarket chains in Sweden, Belgium and Luxembourg have announced that temperatures in refrigerators and freezers in dozens of stores have risen overnight, raising fears about a cyber attack similar to that which has caused millions of euros in food losses in France, reports The Guardian.
Belgium, Luxembourg and Now Sweden – More Cyberattacks on European Supermarket Refrigeration Systems
Ahold Delhaize and Colruyt said on Monday that an overnight IT incident affected refrigerators and freezers in dozens of stores in Belgium and Luxembourg. Meanwhile, Swedish supermarket chains ICA and Coop reported similar temperature spikes, with one store calling the incident a cyberattack. The incidents follow an attack in France last month in which police said hackers took control of refrigeration units in hundreds of supermarkets. This led …
Attack began around midnight and caused some freezers to reach temperatures of about 15 degrees Celsius. There were supermarkets that resorted to cold trucks to preserve food, others threw us in the trash
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