BRUSSELS: Dozens of supermarkets across seven European countries have been hit by a cyberattack targeting their refrigeration systems, forcing retailers to discard spoiled food and raising concerns about food safety.
Around 40 Delhaize supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg were affected, while smaller numbers of stores in Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia and Finland also reported disruptions.
Belgian refrigeration manufacturer Sabcobel said attackers had switched the evaporators in affected refrigerators to defrost mode, causing temperatures to rise. The method appears similar to an attack in October that affected hundreds of French supermarkets and resulted in millions of euros worth of food being discarded.
Sabcobel CEO Stephan Moelans told the Belga news agency on Monday that the incident was a cyberattack. He said the company had worked overnight to disconnect affected units from the network.
Moelans said Sabcobel had been working to protect customers' refrigeration systems against the vulnerability since the French incident in early October. However, he said physical modifications were needed rather than software updates alone.
Most supermarkets across Europe connect their refrigeration systems to the internet, allowing maintenance and troubleshooting to be carried out remotely.
Moelans said many customers had switched to secure internet connections following the earlier attack in France.
Temperatures in freezers at several affected stores reportedly rose as high as 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit).
The identity of those behind the latest attack remains unknown.
Belgium's and Sweden's national cybersecurity agencies said they were monitoring the incident. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre said it was working with international partners and industry to establish the details. No incidents have been reported in the United Kingdom.
In Belgium, a Delhaize store in Hoeilaart told the Het Laatste Nieuws news website it had lost an estimated 100,000 euros ($116,000) worth of produce, excluding further losses from the store's closure.
French-owned Carrefour said 15 of its Belgian stores were affected but added that measures had been taken to keep all outlets open.
Colruyt Group, which operates Spar stores in Belgium under a franchise system, said five shops had experienced attacks on their refrigeration systems.
Swedish retailers were also affected. Several ICA and Coop stores reported disruptions, while furniture retailer Ikea said the refrigeration systems at its store in Mons, Belgium, had been hit.
ICA confirmed that a small number of stores operating outside its central network were affected. One branch in Sjöbo, southern Sweden, said its refrigerators and freezers had been hacked overnight and their temperatures set to 50 degrees Celsius. The store has since reopened.
Seven of Coop's 800 Swedish stores were affected, but the company said the situation was contained and under control.
In Finland, refrigeration problems were detected at some K-stores, with retailer Kesko saying its security experts were investigating the cause.
In Ireland, the attack affected 13 SuperValu supermarkets. Musgrave Group, which owns the chain, said the incident involved a specific model of refrigerator.
Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported that at least 17 businesses in the Netherlands, including butcher shops and small neighbourhood stores, had been affected.
An Estonian Selver supermarket was also hit, while local media reported that other businesses in the country may have experienced similar disruptions.
