Coop, ICA, Ahold Delhaize

Supermarket chains across Europe are reporting issues with their refrigeration and freezer systems, sparking fears of a second suspected cyber-attack.

In Sweden, Coop has confirmed that six of its stores were affected by an incident overnight, which impacted their refrigeration and freezer systems. ICA, another major supermarket chain in the country, said it was aware of the issue but did not provide further details. The company's statement suggests that a limited number of stores were affected.

Ahold Delhaize, a Dutch retailer with operations in several European countries, has also reported an "IT incident" affecting its fridges and freezers in dozens of supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg. According to the company, temperatures in the cooling systems had increased, indicating a possible malfunction or cyber-attack.

Dozens of supermarkets and convenience stores across Europe have been affected by a suspected cyber-attack on their refrigeration systems. The affected locations include five Spar outlets in Belgium, multiple Shop & Go convenience stores attached to Q8 service stations, and smaller Proxy Delhaize minimarkets.

Technicians were deployed at 1am to disconnect the affected installations from the grid, according to Stephan Moelans, chief executive of Sabcobel, which specializes in refrigeration system installations. This emergency response was necessitated by a malfunction or potential cyber-attack that increased temperatures in the cooling systems.

The recent incident is not an isolated case, as French police reported in October that hackers had taken control of up to 700 supermarket cooling units in a large-scale attack. The hackers remotely manipulated temperature settings on freezers, fridges, and chiller cabinets, causing them to rise from extremely low temperatures to over 50C.

The consequences of the attacks have been severe, with stores forced to discard large quantities of perishable goods, including fresh meat, dairy products, and frozen items. Estimated losses range from tens of thousands of euros to over €130,000 per store, while two locations in Alsace reported a combined loss of €270,000.

Supermarket cold aisles across Europe have been compromised by a second suspected cyber-attack, with hackers targeting systems used for remote maintenance and alerts on system failures. The French attack saw controllers supplied by Danfoss, a Danish company, pirated by the hackers.

The thieves disabled alarm systems before making adjustments to thermostats or extending defrost programmes by hours. ANSSI, France's national cybersecurity agency, has been instructed to investigate, following a formal investigation opened by the Paris prosecutor's office into the French attack.