Supermarket refrigeration systems in several European countries were disrupted on November 2 in what authorities and retailers described as suspected cyberattacks. The incidents caused temperatures in refrigerators and freezers to rise, forcing some businesses to discard food. AFP reported that grocery stores in at least nine European countries experienced problems. Belgium was among the hardest-hit countries, and federal prosecutors opened an investigation. The attackers and their motives have not been identified.
Reuters reported that the incidents affected supermarket refrigeration systems in Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden and Ireland, among other locations. AFP later reported problems in at least nine countries: Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden.
The lists of affected countries and stores varied across reports, in part because retailers and authorities were still identifying the extent of the disruption. The common feature was that refrigeration controls were affected and temperatures rose, creating a risk to perishable food.
Euronews reported that Belgium’s federal prosecutor’s office had opened an investigation. Several retail chains reported problems, including Delhaize, Carrefour, Intermarché and Spar. Carrefour said about 15 of its 700 stores in Belgium were affected. IKEA also reported that its Mons location experienced a refrigeration incident.
The number of affected stores differed across companies and reports. Some Belgian outlets cited dozens of affected locations across different chains, while retailers provided their own figures. Those counts should not be combined as if they came from a single final government tally.
AFP reported that Irish retailer Musgrave said 13 SuperValu stores were affected. Sweden’s Coop said seven of its stores had experienced problems. In the Netherlands, refrigeration systems at at least 17 companies were reportedly attacked, according to a spokesperson for supplier Danfoss.
Rising temperatures can force retailers to discard food that can no longer be safely stored. Reuters reported that one Belgian butcher estimated losses of about 15,000 euros. The full financial impact across all affected businesses has not been established.
The European disruption followed a similar cyberattack on supermarket refrigeration systems in France three weeks earlier. AFP reported that the earlier incident affected hundreds of stores and led to food losses. Sabcobel told Belga that the Belgian incident appeared to involve a mechanism similar to the earlier French attack.
That similarity does not prove that the incidents were carried out by the same group. No organization has publicly claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, and investigators have not established whether the separate incidents are connected.
Belgian authorities have opened an investigation, but officials have not publicly identified the attackers or explained their motives. The country’s cybersecurity authorities acknowledged the incident but did not provide detailed technical information. The European Commission has warned that repeated attacks on refrigeration systems could threaten food supply chains and consumer confidence.
The immediate operational issue is restoring safe refrigeration and determining which products must be discarded. The broader security question is how retailers protect connected systems that control essential equipment. Until investigators release more information, it would be premature to attribute the attacks to a particular country, organization or political motive.