Cyberattack Hits Supermarket Freezers in Sweden and Belgium

Hackers took control of refrigeration systems at dozens of supermarkets in Sweden and Belgium overnight into Monday, raising temperatures to as much as 55 degrees Celsius. Swedish chains Ica and Coop were affected, along with Belgian chains Delhaize and Carrefour. Rickard Nilsson, head of an Ica store in Sjoebo in southern Sweden, said hot air was blowing into the freezers and everything was ruined.

Ica said a limited number of stores were affected by an overnight incident that disrupted refrigeration and freezer systems. Affected stores in Sjoebo and Tomelilla remained closed during the morning. Coop confirmed six affected stores.

“We can't adjust the temperatures, we can't change them. Hot air is blowing into the freezers. Everything is ruined.”

In Belgium, at least 40 Delhaize stores reported overheated refrigeration, according to NL Times. Carrefour Belgium named 15 locations. Delhaize's parent company Ahold Delhaize confirmed an IT incident affecting refrigeration systems in a number of stores and said it was assessing the situation.

Initial estimates put the damage in the millions of euros. The pattern follows an attack in France on October 12, when attackers took control of refrigeration controllers at up to 700 supermarkets, including more than 300 Intermarche and Netto stores.

The French units were switched into an unusual defrost cycle with goods still inside. No alarms went off and staff were not on site overnight. After six hours, temperatures stood at around 50 degrees Celsius, and at one store in Normandy fridges showed 80 degrees Celsius.

Equipment melted or caught fire, sprinkler systems caused water damage, and whole aisles of fresh and frozen food were thrown away. The head of Intermarche parent Les Mousquetaires expects losses in the tens of millions of euros. The Paris prosecutor's office is investigating, and Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu instructed cybersecurity agency ANSSI to coordinate with other European countries.