The incident, which occurred between Sunday and Monday night, affected several major supermarket chains, including Belgium's Delhaize and Carrefour, Sweden's ICA and Coop, and Ireland's SuperValu.
In Ireland, 13 SuperValu stores were affected. In Belgium, problems were reported at approximately 40 Delhaize outlets and 15 Carrefour stores.
According to local media reports, the temperatures of some refrigeration units in Belgium were remotely increased to as high as 70 degrees Celsius. The disruption reportedly caused food worth approximately 100,000 euros to spoil at a single Delhaize branch, forcing the store to dispose of the affected products. The total losses across the affected stores could reach millions of euros, although no official figures have been released so far.
The impact also spread to Sweden, where several ICA supermarkets reported that their refrigeration systems had been tampered with. A store in Sjöbo, in the southern part of the country, said on social media that its refrigerators and freezers had been hacked overnight, with their temperatures set to 50 degrees Celsius.
The outlet was temporarily forced to close but has since reopened. An ICA spokesperson said only a small number of stores operating outside the chain's central network had been affected. The company is assisting the affected outlets in managing the situation.
Seven of Coop's 800 stores in Sweden were also affected. The situation was subsequently brought under control.
In Ireland, supermarket group Musgrave confirmed that 13 of its SuperValu stores had been hit by a suspected cyberattack. In Luxembourg, Delhaize suspended its ordering system as a precautionary measure.
Belgian refrigeration installation company Sabcobel said approximately 20 units out of the hundreds it manages across the country had been affected by the attack. The company's CEO, Stéphane Moelants, said the incident in Belgium appeared similar to a cyberattack that targeted supermarkets in France in October.
In Estonia, a hacker gained access to a computer controlling the refrigeration systems of Selver supermarkets and changed the freezer settings, raising the temperature from 0 to 50 degrees Celsius. According to the retailer, the attack was detected within just a few minutes, preventing any damage to products.
Similar Cyberattack Previously Targeted French Supermarkets
A cyberattack on October 12 affected hundreds of supermarkets belonging to the Intermarché and Coopérative U chains in France. That incident also targeted refrigeration systems, causing temperatures to rise and food products to spoil.
The identity of those responsible for the latest cyberattack remains unknown. Belgium's and Sweden's national cybersecurity agencies have said they are monitoring the incident.
The disruption across four countries has exposed the vulnerability of supermarket refrigeration infrastructure, with remote interference causing significant operational problems and substantial food losses across multiple retail chains.
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