Supermarkets in seven European countries, including Belgium, Sweden, Finland, and Ireland, experienced a cyberattack that caused refrigerator temperatures to rise to as high as 50 degrees Celsius. This incident comes just three weeks after a similar hacking event in France, raising concerns about the vulnerability of food supply chains to cyber threats. While the perpetrators have not yet been identified, some speculate that Russian or Chinese-linked hackers may be involved.
Temperatures in refrigerators soared to 50°C, echoing a similar incident in France three weeks ago.
According to reports from AP and Bloomberg, on November 2, local time, there were multiple reports of abnormal temperature increases in refrigerators and freezers at grocery retailers in Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Estonia, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Finland. Retailers are investigating the cause while considering the possibility of a cyberattack.
In mid-October, hackers targeted several grocery retailers in France, raising refrigerator temperatures to 50 degrees and affecting hundreds of stores. Now, similar incidents have spread across Europe.
Among the affected retailers are major grocery chains such as Ahold Delhaize, Carrefour, and Spar in Belgium and Luxembourg, as well as ICA and Coop in Sweden, and SuperValu in Ireland.
Notably, some of the refrigeration systems impacted were from Danish company Danfoss, which was also targeted during the French supermarket hacking incident last month.
Commercial refrigerators are equipped with software that manages temperature and is connected to the internet, allowing for remote control. This connectivity means that if there are security vulnerabilities in the management system, hackers can infiltrate and change temperature settings at will.
Experts have pointed out that refrigeration systems are particularly vulnerable because they do not receive software updates as frequently as computers or smartphones. Applying security updates may require taking the systems offline for a period, which can be a burden for supermarkets that need to keep refrigeration running to store food.
Following the French supermarket hacking incident, several retailers took their Danfoss refrigeration systems offline for security checks and updates. However, as of last week, approximately 5,000 Danfoss refrigeration systems were still exposed to the internet, posing a potential risk for cyberattacks, according to Bloomberg.
Over 20 hacking incidents targeting refrigeration systems this year, many linked to pro-Russian hacker groups.
The origins of the recent European refrigerator hacking incident remain unclear, similar to the situation in France last month. So far, no hacker groups claiming political motives or ransomware organizations have taken responsibility for the attacks.
However, cybersecurity experts suggest that state-linked actors may be demonstrating their cyberattack capabilities or attempting to create social unrest, while individual hackers could also be responsible.
Reif Pilling, a senior threat intelligence officer at cybersecurity firm Sophos, emphasized the potential psychological impact of such cyberattacks on large populations. He noted that consumers witnessing empty supermarket shelves could lead to increased social anxiety and distrust in the food supply chain.
The Guardian reported that Russian or Chinese-linked hackers could also be suspects in this incident. According to cybersecurity firm ForeScout, there have been over 20 confirmed cyberattacks targeting refrigeration systems this year, with many linked to pro-Russian hacker activist groups. Recently, Western intelligence officials warned that Russia is conducting various forms of sabotage in Europe and may expand these efforts in the coming months.
Meanwhile, on the same day, both Russia and Ukraine experienced hacking incidents involving their emergency alert systems, which sent out false messages about imminent nuclear attacks.
On November 2, Reuters and AP reported that Ukraine's public air raid alert app sent out false warnings of nuclear and chemical attacks around 11 p.m. the previous evening in the capital Kyiv and other areas. Hours later, Russia's emergency ministry's alert app also issued false messages claiming that a nuclear attack was imminent. Russian officials attributed the false messages to a large-scale cyberattack.
The perpetrators behind the hacking of the alert systems in Russia and Ukraine have not yet been clearly identified. Ukraine has accused Russia of being responsible, but Russian officials have not publicly named any suspects.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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