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Cyberattacks Spoil Food as Supermarket Fridges Across Europe Fail Again
Suspected cyberattacks have spoiled food at dozens of European supermarkets, with fridges in Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and Sweden
Key points
- Ahold Delhaize and Colruyt confirmed the hacks on supermarket refrigerators overnight.
- Stores have suffered heavy food losses and thrown out goods that defrosted or were no longer consumable.
- Earlier refrigerator hacks in France last month caused food spoilage at hundreds of supermarkets.
Why it matters. The freezer hacks show how cyberattacks can have real-world effects, including on the food supply chain, often because of weak or overlooked cybersecurity practices.
A second wave of suspected cyberattacks has spoiled food at dozens of stores across Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and Sweden by raising fridge temperatures. Ahold Delhaize and Colruyt confirmed the hacks overnight, and a Belgian firm running Delhaize's systems said hackers changed the settings to defrost. Security researchers blamed internet-connected fridges made by Danish company Danfoss, which no longer provides security updates.
Latest updates
Cyberattacks Spoil Food as Supermarket Fridges Across Europe Fail Again
A second wave of suspected cyberattacks has struck supermarket refrigerators across Europe, causing units to warm and food to spoil. The incidents have affected dozens of stores in Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and Sweden. Supermarket groups Ahold Delhaize and Colruyt confirmed the disruption. The attacks are the second such wave in roughly a month, and they have also disrupted supplies. The disruption shows how connected store equipment can be targeted to damage inventory. Investigators have not publicly named a responsible party in the source material.