European supermarkets hit by new fridge cyberattack
Swedish grocers ICA and Coop reported similar temperature spikes as investigators linked the disruptions to a wider wave of suspected cyberattacks.
- 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where hackers seized control of cooling units; technical analysis suggests vulnerabilities in Danfoss equipment running outdated firmware allowed unauthorized remote access.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.
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Cyberattacks hit supermarket refrigeration systems across Europe
Suspected cyberattacks disrupted supermarket refrigeration systems across at least eight European countries on Monday, forcing retailers to discard food after hackers allegedly raised freezer temperatures to 50 °C. Stores in Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Estonia and the Netherlands reported incidents, weeks after similar attacks affected hundreds of supermarkets in France.
Cybercriminals have again attacked refrigeration facilities in European supermarkets. This time, businesses in Belgium, Luxembourg and Sweden were targeted by the perpetrators.
In Belgium, Luxembourg and Sweden, hackers hacked the refrigerator control system in supermarkets and increased the temperature in the freezers, reporting on Monday to The Guardian.
Several Swedish and Belgian supermarkets observed a dramatic rise in temperature in their refrigerators and freezers on Monday morning. Some brands claimed to have been affected by a cyber attack. A similar incident, attributed to hackers, occurred in France in October. - Carrefour, Intermarché, Ikea... After France, overheated refrigerators in Belgium and Sweden (International).
Again in European supermarkets cooling systems were transferred from a distance to defrosting mode. This time at least three countries were affected, possibly even more.
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