BRUSSELS, Belgium / EuroWire.IO / – Hackers appear to have switched supermarket fridges and freezers to defrost mode across Europe on Monday, November 2, spoiling food and forcing stores to remove products. Stores in Belgium, Sweden, the Netherlands, Ireland, Luxembourg and Estonia reported sudden temperature rises. The incidents follow an attack on hundreds of French supermarkets last month. No one has claimed responsibility for either wave of attacks.
The chief executive of Belgian refrigeration firm Sabcobel, Stephan Moelans, said the incident was a cyberattack. He told the Belga news agency that the evaporators in the cooling units had been switched to defrost mode. Sabcobel operates refrigeration systems for Delhaize. According to BleepingComputer, Moelans said the attackers exploited the same vulnerability used in France and that the fridges also required physical modifications to be secured.
Ahold Delhaize said it had identified an IT incident affecting refrigeration systems in several dozen stores in Belgium and Luxembourg. Its Dutch business also confirmed an incident affecting a number of stores. Carrefour Belgium said about 15 of its stores were hit, describing the incident as a cyberattack. Colruyt reported problems at around five Spar shops, and an IKEA store in Mons was also affected. Ahold Delhaize had reported a separate cybersecurity incident to Dutch police last month.
Freezers set to 50°C in Sweden
Swedish retailer ICA said a small number of stores outside its central network were affected, including stores in Stockholm and Sjöbo where freezers were set to 50°C. Coop reported problems at six stores, Aftonbladet said. Axfood said freezers at a home delivery distribution centre near Gothenburg were hacked. Sweden’s National Cybersecurity Centre said it was working on several incidents but could not say who was behind them.
In Ireland, 13 of 223 SuperValu stores were affected by problems with a specific model of refrigeration system, parent company Musgrave said. Some chilled and frozen products were withdrawn from sale. In Estonia, at least one supermarket was hit. Jann Mutso of Kitman Coldtech said the affected units were older Danfoss models and that temperatures had been set to 50°C. Finnish retailer Kesko also reported irregular temperatures at a few stores.
EU links attacks to food supply risks
Christophe Hansen, the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, called the attacks a deliberate attempt to disrupt the EU’s food supply and undermine consumer confidence. He said food security was not at risk, though food waste and the impact on businesses were real. A Commission spokesperson said the incidents showed how cyberattacks can directly affect daily life. The EU signed a UN convention on cybercrime in 2025.
The French attack last month saw hackers take control of cooling units at hundreds of supermarkets, pushing temperatures to 50°C and causing fires. France’s cybersecurity agency ANSSI was asked to investigate, and the Paris prosecutor opened a probe. Belgium’s cybersecurity centre said the culprits may never be identified. European officials have raised concerns about hybrid threats linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Austria’s new cybersecurity law took effect in October as EU states strengthen their defences.