Suspected Cyberattack Targets Supermarket Cooling Systems in Belgium and Sweden

Dozens of supermarkets across Belgium and Sweden suffered disruptions after a suspected cyberattack compromised commercial refrigeration and freezer systems overnight, BBC reported. In Belgium, the digital intrusion affected approximately 40 Delhaize supermarkets and 15 Carrefour stores, causing cooling equipment to malfunction, BBC noted. Delhaize representatives told Belgian media that a computer incident occurred overnight across 40 shops, while Carrefour representatives noted that technical specialists were actively analyzing the event, BBC reported. Supermarket chains in Sweden reported similar disruptions as outlets operated by retail groups ICA and Coop experienced sudden temperature spikes across refrigeration units. The disruption prompted retail staff to discard thousands of euros worth of perishable inventory after cooling chambers were remotely manipulated to elevated temperatures.

Thermostat Manipulation and Defrost Overrides

Technicians and store managers discovered that hackers had deliberately reprogrammed thermostat settings in multiple grocery branches, BBC reported. At an ICA branch in southern Sweden, store managers reported on social media that intruders breached systems overnight and adjusted freezer thermostats to 50 C, equivalent to 122F. At an ICA Baronen shop in Stockholm, customer notices explained that freezer units had failed due to a cyberattack detected during early morning opening hours, The Straits Times World News reported. In Belgium, refrigeration maintenance contractor Sabcobel indicated that the unauthorized intrusion switched refrigeration evaporator units directly into defrost mode, The Straits Times World News noted. Sabcobel chief executive Stephan Moelans described the technical manipulation as a cyberattack targeting cooling apparatus across client retail locations.

Sabcobel started mobilising technicians at 1am and spent all night and morning disconnecting affected installations from the grid, according to The Guardian.

Numerous Belgian retail branches experienced disruptions, encompassing multiple Spar outlets alongside station-linked convenience shops and smaller neighborhood minimarkets, according to The Guardian.

Nordic Inquiries and Operational Technology Vulnerabilities

The Nordic grocery chain Coop reported that seven of its 800 Swedish branches experienced cooling anomalies before technicians restored operational control, BBC stated. Sweden's national cybersecurity centre said it was actively investigating multiple anomalous events impacting grocery refrigeration networks nationwide, The Straits Times World News reported. Cybersecurity head John Billow cautioned that numerous commercial operational technology systems across the country remain exposed to internet intrusions unless operators update or patch connected equipment.

European Precedents and Law Enforcement Probes

The widespread cooling system breaches follow a similar cyberattack in France that compromised refrigeration equipment at hundreds of supermarkets, BBC reported. During the French incidents, unauthorized system takeovers generated heat spikes up to 50 degrees Celsius, triggering electrical fires and widespread food spoilage. Retail conglomerate Ahold Delhaize reported suspicious digital activity within its central corporate IT infrastructure to Dutch law enforcement authorities, The Straits Times World News noted. Law enforcement agencies and European cybersecurity teams have not attributed the attacks to specific threat actors as technical analyses of building automation networks continue.