Grocery stores hacked in several European countries – freezers nearly at sauna temperature, Belgium launches criminal investigation

The attacks targeted the computer systems controlling shop freezers and cold rooms. Instead of keeping food cold, the systems raised temperatures or activated defrosting. This matters because refrigerated storage is essential for preserving frozen and chilled products. Even a short disruption can create waste and interrupt sales across many stores.

Sweden’s ICA reported that some stores had their cold rooms and freezers set to 50°C overnight. In Belgium, cooling systems at Ahold Delhaize stores in Belgium and Luxembourg began raising temperatures. Sabcomel reported about 20 cyberattack notifications, while Carrefour said 15 Belgian stores were affected. The attackers entered systems regulating the equipment and switched them to defrost mode.

Similar disruptions were reported in Finland, Ireland, France and Estonia. Supervalu removed frozen and chilled goods from 13 Irish stores. The article reports spoiled food and substantial business impacts, although the EU commissioner said food safety itself was not endangered. Authorities are investigating, and the incidents have renewed calls to improve European cybersecurity.

A cooling-system cyberattack is an intrusion into the computers that operate refrigeration equipment. The attackers do not necessarily break the freezer physically. Instead, they interfere with digital instructions that control cooling, temperature settings or defrost cycles. This makes a physical appliance respond to an unauthorised command and can spoil food or interrupt sales.

The article describes the mechanism directly. Saboteurs penetrated computer systems regulating the equipment and switched the systems to defrost mode. Sweden’s ICA said some cold rooms and freezers were adjusted to 50°C. Ahold Delhaize stores in Belgium and Luxembourg reported an IT incident in which cooling systems began raising temperatures. Sabcomel received around 20 reports involving similar attacks.

The article does not identify the precise software flaw or access method. It does show that connected refrigeration can become a target beyond ordinary office computers. Cases were investigated in Belgium, Sweden and other European countries. The European Commission said the incidents demonstrate that digital threats increasingly affect everyday services, strengthening the case for better cybersecurity across the EU.

The incidents were reported across at least seven countries named in the article: Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, France and Estonia. The article does not provide one complete total for affected stores, because several chains report only that some locations were affected. It therefore supports a country count, but not a definitive store count.

Several figures are specific. Carrefour said 15 of its 700 Belgian stores were hit. Supervalu reported attacks on 13 of its 223 Irish stores. Aftonbladet reported the same problem at six Coop stores in central Sweden. Belgium’s refrigeration-service company Sabcomel received about 20 notifications. Other affected sites included ICA, Ahold Delhaize, Spar, an IKEA in Mons and at least one Estonian retail-chain customer.

The scope therefore reaches beyond one company or national market. Finnish disruptions involved at least a few individual smaller K-food stores, while Swedish authorities investigated several cases. The article links the attacks to similar incidents in France during October. Authorities and companies were still examining the cases, so the overall number could not yet be confirmed.

Freezers and cold rooms preserve food by keeping it within suitable temperature ranges. When their temperature rises, frozen products can begin to thaw, while chilled products may no longer remain safely stored. If equipment switches to defrost mode unexpectedly, the same warming process can affect large quantities of stock. The article reports that many foods spoiled and had to be discarded.

Swedish ICA said some stores’ cold rooms and freezers were set to 50°C. In Ireland, Supervalu said frozen and chilled products were removed from sale at 13 affected stores. The article also reports that products were discarded in Finland and elsewhere. These examples show how a digital attack on equipment can become a direct loss of physical food.

The impact is not limited to a single freezer. A whole store, delivery centre or restaurant can be affected at once. Axfood reported that its Gothenburg home-delivery centre’s freezer system had been hacked. EU Commissioner Christophe Hansen said food safety was not endangered, but food waste and effects on businesses were real problems.

Food can be discarded after unsafe warming because appearance and smell are unreliable safety tests. Some harmful microorganisms can multiply without producing an obvious odour, colour change or visible growth. Temperature history also matters: food may have spent too long in conditions that allow contamination or microbial growth, even if it appears normal. This is established food-safety guidance, not a specific detail explained in the article.

The article reports that many foods spoiled after refrigeration systems were disrupted. Supervalu removed frozen and chilled products from 13 Irish stores, and affected Finnish stores also had to throw food away. The decision protects customers when a shop cannot verify that products stayed within required conditions. It is safer to discard uncertain stock than to judge it by sight or smell.

The article quotes EU Commissioner Christophe Hansen saying food safety was not endangered in these incidents. That statement concerns the reported attacks overall, not a claim that every warmed product remained safe. The events still show why temperature monitoring, records and rapid response are important in food retail.

The cold chain is the system of temperature-controlled storage and transport that keeps chilled and frozen food cold from production through distribution, retail and purchase. Its purpose is to preserve food quality and support food safety. If one link fails, products may warm beyond acceptable limits. The article illustrates this risk through attacks on shop freezers, cold rooms and a home-delivery centre.

Axfood reported that hackers targeted the freezer system at its Gothenburg home-delivery centre. Supervalu removed frozen and chilled products from 13 Irish stores. In Sweden, some ICA refrigeration units were set to 50°C. These incidents show how the cold chain can be interrupted at the retail or distribution stage, even when earlier stages worked normally.

The article says many products spoiled and had to be discarded. It also says food safety was not endangered in the reported attacks, while food waste and business impacts were real. Protecting the cold chain therefore requires both reliable refrigeration and secure digital controls. The cases support the European Commission’s call to improve cybersecurity across the EU.

Modern refrigeration systems often use digital controllers, sensors and network connections so staff or service companies can monitor temperatures and manage equipment remotely. This creates efficiency, but it also links physical machines to information technology. If attackers reach the control system, they may issue commands that change cooling or defrost settings. The article confirms this connection but does not name a particular vulnerability.

The reported attacks show the result. Saboteurs entered computer systems regulating refrigeration equipment and switched units to defrost mode. ICA said some Swedish stores’ cold rooms and freezers were set to 50°C. Similar incidents affected Ahold Delhaize stores, Carrefour, Spar, IKEA and Supervalu. The systems therefore allowed digital actions to produce physical warming.

Common security weaknesses can include poor access controls, exposed remote-management interfaces, unpatched software or weak separation between business networks and equipment networks. These are established cybersecurity risks, not weaknesses identified specifically in this investigation. The article says authorities are investigating and the European Commission believes EU-wide cybersecurity must improve.