Hackers target supermarket refrigeration systems across Europe

A cyberattack has disrupted refrigeration systems at dozens of supermarkets across seven European countries, forcing stores to discard spoiled food and temporarily close some outlets.

Around 40 Delhaize supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg were affected, alongside smaller numbers of stores in Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia and Finland.

In October, a similar cyberattack triggered fires at dozens of French supermarkets, resulting in millions of euros in spoiled products.

Belgian company Sabcobel, which manufactures some of the affected equipment, confirmed the cyberattack and said that hackers breached the system used to control the devices remotely. The attackers reportedly changed the settings of refrigerators and freezers, switching their evaporators into defrost mode. This caused temperatures to rise sharply, reaching 122 Fahrenheit in some grocery stores.

Sabcobel said it had been addressing software vulnerabilities in recent weeks but noted that some refrigerators require physical modifications.

The latest incident has already caused significant losses. A Delhaize store in Hoeilaart, Belgium, estimated that it had lost around $115,000 worth of products.

Cybersecurity agencies in Belgium and Sweden are monitoring the situation, while the UK's National Cyber Security Centre is working with international partners. Investigators have yet to identify those responsible for the attack.

In the US, the Pentagon is probing August hacks targeting fridges at military base commissaries, which resulted in widespread food spoilage.