EU Urges Action After Cyberattacks Hit European Supermarkets

European Supermarket Refrigeration Systems Hacked in 11 Countries

These are not isolated incidents, and of course, we have to be collectively resilient and prepared for such cyber incidents, Thomas Regnier, a spokesperson for the European Union, said. Hackers raised the temperatures of refrigeration systems at supermarkets in Germany, Romania, and the United Kingdom, officials said, bringing the total number of European countries affected by the hacking spree to at least 11.

The announcements followed a wave of problems reported in at least nine EU countries on Monday, including Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden. Officials and company representatives confirmed that four supermarkets in Germany and six in Romania were subsequently affected. The UK, which is outside the EU, also sustained hits, alongside Greece, where a butcher shop owner in the northern Athenian district of Kifisia reported a similar intrusion on November 3, according to Greek broadcaster SKAI.

Spord Food and Soaring Temperatures Across Grocery Chains

Supermarket chains across the continent were forced to discard tonnes of spoiled food as freezer thermostats were remotely cranked up, in some cases soaring as high as 50C (122F), according to BBC reporting. In Greece, a store owner told broadcaster SKAI that unauthorized individuals accessed his refrigeration management system and altered settings to display 150 degrees Celsius, though the actual unit temperature did not reach that figure, the owner said.

Belgium emerged as one of the hardest-hit nations on Monday, with dozens of stores across several grocery chains reporting refrigeration failures and federal prosecutors opening an investigation. In Italy, approximately 20 supermarkets experienced disruptions. Giuseppe Spadaro, director of a group running Coop supermarkets in Sicily, said that four of its 300 stores were hit. We had to throw away everything. Giorgia Meloni’s government later stated that the impact was currently very limited, though it held a meeting with intelligence chiefs.

Experts Debate Involvement of Iranian Hackers

Dan Cimpean, director of Romania’s National Cyber Security Directorate, downplayed the threat severity to the AFP news agency, describing the incident as semi-amateurish and adding that no state actor was suspected and no other infrastructure was compromised. Conversely, Omri Segev Moyal, head of Israeli incident response firm Profero, told NPR he is confident that Iranian military hackers known as the Cyber Isnaad Front are behind the attacks. Rafe Pilling, senior director for threat intelligence at Sophos, said that state-based signaling or a lone-wolf hacker remain the two most plausible attribution scenarios.

In the UK, Richard Horne, chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), told the BBC that vulnerable technology had been exploited across the food supply chain. The incident mirrored an October cyberattack that swept hundreds of French supermarkets, including locations run by Intermarché and Coopérative U, causing food losses estimated at tens of millions of euros, as reported by NPR and the BBC.

Supermarket Chain Accelerates Network Upgrades

Swedish supermarket chain Coop stated that affected refrigerators and freezers at seven of its stores had been connected to old 4G networks. Carlos Cancinos, a spokesperson for the chain, said that Coop accelerated upgrades to move equipment onto 5G networks and modern modems. Danish refrigeration controls manufacturer Danfoss recommended that its systems not be directly accessible from the internet.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Supermarket Fridge Hacks

Which countries have been impacted by the refrigeration cyberattacks so far?

At least 11 European countries have been affected, including Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, alongside earlier incidents in France.

How did hackers alter the commercial refrigeration temperatures without malware?

Cybersecurity experts noted that no malware was needed for the intrusions; attackers exploited vulnerable internet-connected software and remote management tools on commercial refrigeration controllers to adjust thermostat settings directly.

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