Brussels [Belgium], November 2 (ANI): Seven European Union (EU) countries have reported cyberattacks targeting supermarket refrigeration systems, causing refrigerator and freezer temperatures to rise sharply and resulting in large quantities of food being spoiled, according to Euronews.
According to reports, the affected countries are Belgium, Sweden, the Netherlands, Estonia, Luxembourg, Finland and Ireland. The incidents come less than a month after a similar cyberattack affected hundreds of supermarkets in France on October 12.
According to Euronews, the latest incidents are believed to have taken place between Sunday night and Monday morning, local time, with cybercriminals exploiting vulnerabilities in supermarket refrigeration systems.
In Belgium, media reports said refrigerator temperatures in several supermarkets rose to as high as 70 degrees Celsius, forcing retailers to discard food worth hundreds of thousands of euros.
Belgium’s Centre for Cybersecurity (CCB) confirmed that it was aware of an incident targeting supermarket refrigeration systems. CCB spokesperson Katrien Eggers told Belgian outlet Belga, “We are aware of an incident, but have no further information.”
According to Belgian newspaper Le Soir, around 40 Delhaize Proxy supermarkets, 15 Carrefour Shop & Go stores, 15 Intermarché shops and five Spar Q8 service station locations were reportedly affected. Butchery group De Laet en Van Haver and an IKEA store in Bergen, near Mons, were also among the affected businesses.
A Delhaize spokesperson told Euronews, “We have identified an IT incident affecting the refrigeration systems in several dozen stores. We immediately took the necessary measures to keep our stores operational.”
Carrefour Belgium spokesperson Mich Vergauwen confirmed the cyberattack, saying, “It’s a cyberattack, there is no other reason,” while adding that the “impact is very limited.”
Stephan Moelans, CEO of Belgian refrigeration installer Sabcobel, which manages Delhaize’s refrigeration systems, told Belga that the attack involved the same mechanism as the previous cyberattack in France.
He said the incident occurred when the evaporators in refrigeration units were switched to defrost mode. Moelans added that a software update alone would not be sufficient to address the vulnerability and that physical modifications were also required.
“Over the past few weeks, we’ve been working very hard to protect our customers’ fridges against this vulnerability,” Moelans said.
Meanwhile, Ireland’s third-largest supermarket chain, SuperValu, confirmed that refrigeration systems in 13 of its 223 stores had been affected by a cyber incident. According to Sky News, the affected systems were limited to a specific model, and chilled and frozen products were removed from sale.
In Sweden, the country’s National Cyber Security Centre said it was responding to several incidents involving ICA and Coop grocery stores, which had experienced sharp increases in freezer temperatures overnight.
Engla Ingwall, sales manager at an ICA franchise store in Stockholm, told Sky News that the attack occurred at around 2 a.m. and was noticed at 5:30 a.m.
“There has been a cyberattack and all our freezers reached 50C,” she said, adding, “Everything is destroyed.”
ICA confirmed that a limited number of stores had been affected, while Swedish daily Aftonbladet reported that six Coop stores had experienced similar incidents.
Sweden’s National Cyber Security Centre head, John Billow, said the agency had identified several exposed operational technology devices in the country that needed to be updated or patched.
In Estonia, one Selver supermarket was reportedly affected, with temperatures set to 50 degrees Celsius, according to technology supplier Kitman Coldtech, cited by public broadcaster ERR.
In the Netherlands, the freezing and cooling systems of at least 17 companies were reportedly targeted, according to a spokesperson for refrigeration supplier Danfoss. The identities of the affected companies were not disclosed.
In Luxembourg, Delhaize suspended its ordering systems as a precaution to prevent a similar incident, while Finnish media reported that several K Group supermarkets had also been affected.
The incidents have raised concerns over vulnerabilities in remotely controlled refrigeration and other operational technology systems. Advances in technology have enabled equipment such as refrigerators and heating systems, which were previously operated manually, to be controlled and monitored remotely.
A European Commission spokesperson said the incidents highlighted the importance of cybersecurity across the bloc.
“These incidents show that cyberattacks can disrupt services, affect businesses and directly affect citizens’ daily lives,” the spokesperson said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks. Authorities have also not identified those behind the similar incidents reported in France last month. (ANI)
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