MASSIVE ATTACK

Mystery Cyberattack Targets Freezers in Stores Across Europe

A continent-wide cyberattack targeting cooling systems forced major grocers to destroy spoiled inventory.

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A mysterious wave of cyberattacks hit grocery store freezers across Europe, driving temperatures to 122 degrees and forcing grocers to discard massive quantities of spoiled inventory. The coordinated breach targeted remote refrigeration control systems at major retail chains across Belgium, Sweden, Luxembourg, and Ireland. Grocers that were hit included Ahold Delhaize, Colruyt, ICA, Coop, and furniture giant IKEA. “Everything is destroyed,” sales manager Engla Ingwall told Reuters after an overnight attack defrosted her store’s cooling units. “All our freezers reached 50 degrees [122 degrees Fahrenheit].” The disruption follows a similar October incident in France that crippled cooling systems at hundreds of grocery stores. Authorities remain alarmed by the vulnerability of digital connections to basic physical infrastructure. “All IT systems are potentially vulnerable, and AI can now be used to successfully exploit these weaknesses,” warned Katrien Eggers, spokesperson for Belgium’s Center for Cybersecurity. With technology firm Danfoss working to deploy fixes for affected temperature controls, European officials warned the repeated breaches represent a deliberate effort to disrupt the region’s food supply chain. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Russia is suspected.