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The next major cyberattack may reach shoppers through the chilled-food aisle.
Supermarkets in Sweden, Belgium and Luxembourg have reported refrigerators and freezers warming overnight, raising fears of a second widespread attack on the systems that keep food safe, according to the Guardian.
The incidents follow an October attack in France that forced supermarkets to throw away large quantities of food, causing millions of euros in losses. The latest disruption has not yet been confirmed as a cyberattack, and no connection between the two incidents has been established.
And just in the last hour, Estonia has also reported attacks on supermarket cooling systems, following the incidents in Belgium, Sweden and Luxembourg earlier Monday.
Jann Mutso, CEO of refrigeration company Kitman Coldtech, said several clients in Estonia had been targeted through weaknesses in older cooling-system controllers. In one reported incident, hackers remotely changed a freezer’s temperature setting to 50 degrees Celsius.
The incident was reportedly detected and dealt with within about 10 minutes, preventing major damage.
Several countries affected
Sweden’s Coop said six stores were affected, while ICA reported an overnight incident involving refrigeration and freezer systems at a limited number of branches.
Ahold Delhaize said an IT incident had affected cooling equipment at dozens of supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg. The company confirmed that temperatures had risen and said an investigation was underway, the Guardian reported.
Belgian newspaper Le Soir also reported disruption at Spar stores, Shop & Go convenience shops attached to Q8 petrol stations, and smaller Proxy Delhaize outlets. Technicians worked through the night to disconnect affected installations.
A costly warning from France
The earlier French attack showed how quickly interference with refrigeration can become a physical and financial problem.
French police said hackers took control of cooling equipment at up to 700 supermarkets. According to the Guardian, some settings were changed from temperatures as low as minus 27 degrees Celsius to above 50 degrees.
Hackers also disabled alarms or prolonged defrost cycles, leaving stores to discard meat, dairy products, and frozen food. Two stores in Alsace alone reported combined losses of €270,000.
The equipment targeted in France included controllers used to manage refrigeration remotely. Such connections allow maintenance teams to monitor temperatures and respond to faults but can also provide an entry point for attackers.
Why Cyprus should pay attention
For Cyprus, the incidents highlight a risk that extends beyond stolen passwords or customer information: interference with connected equipment can threaten stock, interrupt business, and leave food unavailable for sale.
For retailers, that could mean substantial losses. For shoppers, it could mean gaps in chilled and frozen-food aisles.
The report does not identify any affected stores in Cyprus. But a second widespread incident in Europe puts the security of everyday supermarket equipment firmly in the spotlight.
