Supermarket Freezers Hit 50°C in Europe-Wide Cyber-Attack as Stores Dump Thousands of Pounds' Worth of Food

Supermarkets across Europe have been forced to throw away large quantities of meat, dairy products and frozen goods after suspected hackers remotely interfered with refrigeration systems overnight. The incidents, reported on Monday, 2 November, affected major grocery chains in several countries and left some retailers facing significant losses as cooling equipment failed unexpectedly.

The disruptions come only weeks after a similar attack disrupted hundreds of French stores. Investigations are ongoing and authorities in several countries have yet to determine how the affected equipment was accessed or whether the incidents were linked.

How a Cyber-Attack Sent Freezers to 50°C

Refrigeration systems at supermarkets in at least seven European countries experienced sudden temperature increases, with some freezers reaching 50°C (122°F). According to Reuters, a Swedish ICA supermarket reported that its freezers reached 50°C following an attack at approximately 2am. 'Everything is destroyed,' sales manager Engla Ingwall told the news agency.

The disruption affected retailers in Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia and Finland. Belgium's Delhaize chain reported problems at dozens of stores, while Carrefour confirmed that approximately 15 of its 700 Belgian outlets were affected.

In Ireland, Musgrave said refrigeration systems at 13 SuperValu stores were compromised, forcing staff to remove chilled and frozen products from sale. Sweden's Coop also confirmed disruptions at seven stores.

The financial damage was considerable. Belgian butcher Luc De Laet told Reuters that approximately €15,000 (£13,000) worth of meat had been ruined after refrigeration temperatures climbed to 18°C. Staff at affected supermarkets were photographed emptying freezers and loading spoilt products into shopping trolleys for disposal.

Investigation On How Systems Were Accessed

According to reports, the attacks targeted remotely managed refrigeration equipment, allowing temperatures to be altered without necessarily compromising supermarkets' main computer networks. Investigators have yet to establish precisely how the systems were accessed.

Stephan Moelans, chief executive of Belgian refrigeration company Sabcobel, told Belga that attackers had switched evaporators into defrost mode. According to reports, the equipment involved included systems supplied by Danish manufacturer Danfoss.

France's national cybersecurity agency, CERT-FR, previously warned about compromised refrigeration controllers, including Danfoss AK-SM and AK-SC models. Its October advisory recommended removing exposed equipment from the public internet, restricting remote access and updating supported software.

Danfoss has advised customers to secure their refrigeration controllers and install available updates. However, investigators have yet to establish precisely how every affected system was accessed or whether the incidents were coordinated.

Incident Comes After Major French Supermarket Hack

The latest incidents followed an October cyber-attack affecting approximately 700 French supermarkets and other retailers. That disruption also involved remotely manipulated refrigeration systems, resulting in spoilt stock and substantial financial losses.

Belgium's Centre for Cybersecurity confirmed awareness of the latest incidents, while the country's federal prosecutor's office opened an investigation. Sweden's national cybersecurity centre also began examining attacks affecting retailers.

No organisation has publicly claimed responsibility, and authorities have not identified the perpetrators. The attacks have also prompted renewed warnings for businesses to replace outdated refrigeration controllers, strengthen remote-access security and introduce independent temperature monitoring to prevent similar incidents from causing further losses.

Meanwhile, the incidents have raised concerns about the security of internet-connected equipment used throughout Europe's food supply chain. Although several retailers restored cooling systems or isolated affected equipment, the attacks exposed how quickly a technical breach can translate into food waste and financial damage.