Supermarkets in Belgium, Ireland, Sweden, Finland, and Estonia report fridge and freezer temperature spikes due to suspected hacks, echoing attacks in France

Supermarket refrigeration systems worldwide are now vulnerable to physical damage and massive food loss from remote cyber-attacks.

Dozens of supermarkets across six European countries, including Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Estonia, have reported significant food spoilage due to suspected cyber-attacks on their refrigeration systems. Approximately 40 Delhaize supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg were affected, with similar incidents reported in other nations. The attacks reportedly switched refrigerator and freezer units to defrost mode, causing temperatures to spike dramatically, in some cases to 50C (122F). Sabcobel, a manufacturer of some affected refrigerators, stated the issue involved evaporators being switched to defrost mode and indicated that physical modifications, not just software updates, were necessary to prevent future occurrences. Millions of euros worth of food is estimated to have been lost, with one Belgian Delhaize store reporting a loss of €100,000. National cyber-security agencies in Belgium and Sweden are monitoring the situation, and international partners are involved in understanding the scope and method of the attacks.

This widespread attack on critical food infrastructure highlights a new vector of cyber-threats targeting operational technology (OT) with tangible, real-world consequences. The fact that the vulnerability requires physical modification suggests a deeper hardware or firmware issue rather than a simple software patch, potentially leaving many systems exposed for an extended period. The repetition of this attack, following a similar incident in France, indicates a pattern that threat actors may continue to exploit across the retail sector and beyond.

The incident also underscores the interconnectedness of supply chains and the fragility of centralized control systems in retail. Supermarkets relying on remote management for essential equipment like refrigerators are now facing significant financial and operational risks. Companies and manufacturers must reassess their OT security, likely investing in more robust, isolated network management or even reverting to more manual oversight for critical systems to mitigate similar future disruptions.