Supermarkets and other food retailers in Belgium, Sweden, Luxembourg, Ireland, Estonia and the Netherlands have reported refrigeration failures after attackers remotely changed freezer and cooling-system settings, according to BleepingComputer’s report. The report says more than 115 stores were affected, although the extent of the disruption varied by chain and location.
The confirmed effects include shut-down refrigerators, activated defrost cycles and, in one Swedish case, a system that began generating heat. ICA said a small number of stores operating outside its central network were affected, while Coop said seven of its more than 800 Swedish stores experienced problems. Carrefour reported that 15 stores were affected in Belgium, but said all remained open and that no hypermarkets were involved. Some affected retailers discarded frozen food, the report said.
Help Net Security reported that Belgian technicians began disconnecting affected units from the network after an overnight incident involving Delhaize, Carrefour and Spar, among others. It also reported refrigeration problems at Delhaize stores in Luxembourg and affected Coop and ICA locations in Sweden. The same report said Colruyt and Intermarché confirmed technical problems but did not attribute them to a cyberattack.
The immediate response documented by the reports is operational isolation rather than a confirmed public-sector intervention. Sabcobel chief executive Stephan Moelans told Belgian media, as reported by Help Net Security, that technicians worked through the night to disconnect affected equipment. BleepingComputer reported that retailers were supporting stores and taking steps to keep them open.
The reports also distinguish between a short-term workaround and a lasting fix. Moelans said managing refrigerators through a secure internet connection was the simplest protective measure, but that vulnerable equipment may also require a software update and physical modification. Help Net Security reported that some units are end-of-life and may have no available patch. The reports do not establish who carried out the attacks or whether every refrigeration failure was part of one coordinated operation.