European supermarkets suffer second cyberattack on store freezers

Supermarket chains in Sweden, Belgium, and Luxembourg reported overnight temperature increases in their refrigerators and freezers across dozens of stores. The Guardian, Tom's Hardware, News9live, and Ynetnews reported on Monday that the incident is suspected to be a cyberattack. The disruption has raised concerns of widespread food spoilage across the affected European retailers. [1][2][3][4]

According to the Guardian, the Swedish chain Coop stated that six of its stores were affected by the temperature disruption. Another Swedish chain, ICA, noted that it was aware of an incident impacting a limited number of its locations. The Guardian reported that store operators fear food losses similar to those experienced in earlier attacks. [1]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, a similar cyberattack occurred in France in October. During that attack, hackers remotely changed freezer settings from as low as minus 27 degrees Celsius to over 50 degrees Celsius. The elevated temperatures lasted four to six hours, causing mass food spoilage and millions of euros in losses. [1][9]

Supermarkets rely on centralized logistics and temperature-controlled aisles to store perishable products safely. Europe has previously seen major disruptions to its supply networks and technological infrastructure, which can impact regional commerce and consumer access to essential goods. [7][8]