Hackers turn up the heat on supermarket fridges in Belgium and across Europe

Hackers have targeted refrigeration systems in dozens of supermarkets in Belgium and several other European countries, forcing stores to throw away spoiled food. The attacks struck between Sunday night and Monday morning. Delhaize said about 40 of its Belgian stores were affected by what it called “an IT incident affecting the refrigeration systems.” Carrefour was hit in at least 15 stores and Spar in five, while butchery group De Laet en Van Haver also reported problems. Belgian media estimate about €100,000 worth of food had to be discarded. The CEO of Sabcobel, which manages Delhaize’s refrigeration, said the hackers switched the units into defrost mode, pushing fridge and freezer temperatures sharply higher. Stores in Luxembourg, Sweden and Estonia were also hit overnight, including branches of Swedish chains ICA and Coop. The incidents follow a similar attack on 12 October, when hundreds of French supermarkets, including Intermarché and Coopérative U stores, lost fresh and frozen stock. No one has claimed responsibility. One security consultant said the attackers appear to have used stolen logins for control systems left exposed to the internet. Sweden’s national cybersecurity centre urged operators to update or patch such devices.