Suspected hackers disrupt supermarket refrigeration systems across Europe
A suspected cyberattack disrupted supermarket refrigeration across Europe on Monday, raising temperatures in fridges and freezers and forcing some stores to discard food. Reuters reported that Ahold Delhaize, Colruyt, ICA and Coop were among affected retailers. Reports said 13 SuperValu stores in Ireland experienced refrigeration disruptions. Investigators had not publicly established who was responsible.
More context
Suspected cyberattacks disrupted supermarket refrigeration systems across Europe on Monday, Nov. 2, raising temperatures in fridges and freezers and forcing stores to discard food. Reuters reported that affected groups included Ahold Delhaize and Colruyt in Belgium and Luxembourg, and ICA and Coop in Sweden; at least one IKEA store was also affected. Open Magazine reported that around 40 Delhaize supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg were affected. In Ireland, 13 SuperValu stores experienced refrigeration disruptions, according to Musgrave Group. An ICA store in Sjöbo, Sweden, said its refrigeration units had been hacked and set to 50°C; that was a reported setting, not a measurement of food temperatures. The incidents follow a French attack last month that police said affected hundreds of supermarkets. Investigators have not publicly identified those responsible or established whether all the incidents shared a cause.
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Reporting
- The Times of India — Fridges hacked, food spoiled: Cyberattack disrupts supermarkets across Europe - The Times of India
- Ukrainian National News — New disruption of refrigerators in supermarkets across Europe — cyberattack is suspected | УНН
- Open Magazine — Hacked Freezers: How Cyberattacks Are Threatening Food Safety Worldwide
- Reuters — New cyberattack on supermarket fridges sweeps across Europe | Reuters
- Ynetnews — Supermarket cyberattacks spread across Europe as hackers turn freezers into ovens
- The Guardian — Shop fridges and freezers across Europe hit by fresh suspected cyber-attack
- helsinkitimes.fi — Cyberattacks hit supermarket refrigeration systems across Europe - Helsinki Times
- massmarketretailers.com — European grocers hit by refrigeration cyberattacks
Verifier’s note
Reuters and The Guardian report a fresh wave of suspected attacks disrupting supermarket refrigeration across Europe, and the other results describe the same November 2 incidents. Helsinki Times and UNN include attribution to prior reporting, while the remaining results provide distinct coverage of the event.