Supermarket freezers hit by suspected hacks have caused food spoilage and store closures across Sweden, Belgium, Ireland, and several other European nations. The Next Web reports that grocery chains in multiple countries experienced sudden temperature spikes in their cooling units overnight into Monday, drawing attention from national security officials.
Key takeaways
- Sweden's national cyber security centre is managing multiple cases of store cooling disruptions.
- Hackers reportedly set refrigerator temperatures as high as 50°C and 55°C at specific locations.
- Similar IT incidents and cooling failures were reported in Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Finland, and Estonia.
- No group has claimed responsibility for these incidents so far.
How were supermarket freezers hit during the cyber incidents?
Refrigerators and freezers at several Swedish supermarkets heated up overnight, leaving stores with spoiled food. An ICA Kvantum store in Sjöbo stated on Facebook that hackers broke into its cooling systems to raise temperatures to 50°C. An ICA Nära store manager on the island of Öland arrived to water-covered floors and a freezer reading 55°C. Grocery operators ICA and Coop confirmed that some of their locations experienced problems, though ICA noted that affected stores operated outside its central network.
In Belgium, Delhaize reported an IT incident disrupting refrigeration systems, with local media citing at least 40 affected locations where temperatures reached 15°C. Carrefour Belgium reported problems at 15 stores, and around five Spar stores also noted issues. Ahold Delhaize confirmed stores in Luxembourg were affected, while 13 SuperValu stores were hit in Ireland. Unidentified chains in Finland and Estonia also reported problems, according to reports covered by The Next Web.
What happens next?
Grocery chains are investigating the causes behind the failures and supporting affected stores while discarding chilled and frozen items. John Billow, head of Sweden's national cyber security centre, stated that his agency is handling several cases involving store cooling disruptions. These events follow similar French supermarket incidents on 11 October, as well as a US Pentagon investigation into military base store refrigeration failures from August. Authorities have not established any connections between the incidents in Sweden, Belgium, France, and the US.
Frequently asked questions
Supermarkets in Sweden, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Finland, and Estonia experienced disruptions to their cooling systems.
At some locations, hackers set refrigerator and freezer temperatures as high as 50°C or 55°C, while other stores reported temperatures of 15°C.
Sweden's national cyber security centre, led by John Billow, is handling several cases involving the store cooling disruptions.
No one has claimed responsibility for the incidents involving the supermarket refrigerators and freezers.
No connection has been established between the recent incidents in Sweden and Belgium and earlier events in France and the US.
Based on reporting by The Next Web. Read the original article
