Supermarket chains in at least seven European countries say the temperatures of refrigerators and freezers in dozens of their stores rose sharply overnight, raising fears of a cyber-attack similar to one that caused millions of euros of losses in France.
Retailers in Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden reported problems with their refrigeration systems on Monday. Several of the companies have confirmed they were victims of a cyber-attack, although the source material does not set out the scale of the disruption in each country or the precise nature of the intrusion.
The incident is described as a second suspected attack of this kind, following the hack of stores in France, where the losses reached millions of euros. The parallel is what has alarmed the sector, because a fault in cold storage is not a minor operational issue for food retailers. Temperature-controlled units hold perishable goods such as dairy, meat, fish and frozen products, and when they warm beyond safe limits, stock may have to be discarded.
The simultaneous reports across several national markets point to a coordinated or widely targeted attack rather than isolated technical failures, though no authority has been quoted in the source material attributing responsibility. Shoppers in affected areas may notice gaps on shelves or changes in the availability of chilled and frozen lines while stores recover their systems.
Europe-wide coverage of the story is being updated as more details emerge, and further confirmation from the companies and national authorities is awaited on the extent of the damage and the steps being taken to restore normal refrigeration.
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