Hackers Push Supermarket Freezers to 122°F Across Europe in Coordinated Overnight Attack

By Marcus Bennett

Hackers pushed supermarket refrigeration settings to 50°C — 122°F — during an overnight attack November 2 that spoiled inventory across seven European countries, less than three weeks after a similar wave hit hundreds of French supermarkets.

The latest incidents hit stores in Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Estonia, the Netherlands and Finland. By the time staff arrived, some stores had lost their entire stock of chilled and frozen products. That's the part retailers should sit with: the damage was done overnight, with nobody on site.

Which retailers were hit?

The damage reports cut across chains and formats:

• Sweden: ICA and Coop both reported refrigeration problems. Coop confirmed six affected stores. At an ICA store in Sjöbo, employees said hacked systems were set to 50°C.
• Belgium and Luxembourg: Delhaize reported problems at several dozen stores. Carrefour confirmed 15 Belgian locations. Five Spar franchise stores were hit, and an IKEA in Mons pulled food from sale.
• Ireland: Musgrave confirmed 13 SuperValu stores were affected, with employees removing chilled and frozen goods as a precaution.
• Netherlands: Refrigeration supplier Danfoss reported incidents at 17 businesses, including butcher shops and smaller food retailers.
• Estonia: Technicians intervened within minutes of one attack and prevented significant losses.

At an ICA supermarket in Stockholm, employees discovered the breach around 5:30 a.m. — more than three hours after the reported attack began. One Belgian butcher estimated roughly €15,000 worth of meat was ruined overnight.

No group has claimed responsibility, and investigators haven't confirmed whether all incidents came from the same attackers.

How did the attackers get in?

The common thread is remote access. Modern supermarkets use internet-connected refrigeration controllers so maintenance companies can monitor and adjust equipment remotely. Poorly secured or outdated gear turns that convenience into an open door.

The head of Belgian refrigeration firm Sabcobel, which maintains systems for Delhaize and other retailers, said attackers switched equipment into defrost mode — warming rather than cooling. That mirrors the October attacks in France, where hackers compromised internet-accessible controllers to manipulate temperatures and defrost cycles. French authorities identified hundreds of affected businesses, with some incidents causing fires as well as food losses.

Equipment from manufacturers including Danfoss has been linked to the incidents, and security researchers have warned about vulnerabilities in older controllers still exposed to the internet. The same control systems run food warehouses, commercial kitchens, butcher shops and distribution centers — not just supermarkets.

Could this reach the U.S.?

The Pentagon is already looking. According to Reuters reporting cited in coverage of the European attacks, investigators are examining suspicious refrigeration failures at more than half a dozen U.S. military commissaries in August, including at Fort Irwin, Holloman Air Force Base, Naval Station Newport, Little Rock Air Force Base, F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Robins Air Force Base and Fort Huachuca.

Military investigators are reportedly working with French authorities to determine whether those failures were cyberattacks and whether they connect to the European incidents. There's no public confirmation hackers caused them. But American supermarkets and cold-storage facilities rely on many of the same manufacturers and technologies as their European counterparts.

What's the exposure for grocers?

The immediate damage appears contained to individual stores; some retailers have already resumed normal operations, and there's no indication Europe's overall food supply was crippled. The vulnerability, though, is bigger than the current losses. One Belgian butcher's €15,000 in ruined meat is replaceable. The inventory of a major regional cold-storage facility — or several hit at once — would be an entirely different problem.

Some retailers face cleanup costs, replacement inventory and lost business on top of the spoiled goods. For grocers running thin backroom stock and frequent deliveries, refrigeration downtime is a same-day revenue event, not an IT ticket.

The unresolved questions are who is responsible, how many other controllers remain exposed, and whether the next target is a few dozen freezers or a distribution hub.