A second cyberattack against supermarket refrigeration systems has hit stores in Belgium and Sweden, with hackers reportedly raising freezer temperatures to 50 degrees Celsius and likely destroying millions of dollars’ worth of items, according to multiple reports. The attacks follow a similar incident in France just weeks earlier and targeted supermarkets owned by Ahold Delhaize, as well as ICA and Coop locations in Sweden.
The attack on Belgian supermarkets began Sunday night at around midnight, Belga News Agency reported. Sabcobel, a local refrigeration fitter, estimates that at least twenty refrigeration units are affected across the country. Hackers activated the freezers’ built-in defrost mode remotely, overriding both temperature and defrost duration, the same method used in the earlier France attack.
In Sweden, Aftonbladet reported that refrigerators and freezers in “several ICA and Coop stores” had been disrupted. Photographs showed staff discarding shopping carts full of goods. “We are extremely sad and working hard to get everything back up and running,” Ica Kvantum wrote on Facebook.
The CEO of Sabcobel, Stephan Moelans, said the company has been working “very hard” to protect its fridges against the vulnerability but noted that physical modifications to the units are required. The company said switching units to a secure internet connection is the simplest interim solution, a measure that most of its customers had already adopted after the France attack.
The attack is the second of its kind in a few weeks and is a reminder that many of society's basic functions and infrastructure rely heavily on internet connectivity, making them vulnerable to cyberattacks. The same report noted an October incident in which a hacker suspected of using AI agents stole the data of 25,000 customers from South Korean banks, with officials commenting that AI models mean actors can “hack with ease even without specialized skills.”
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Supermarket refrigeration systems are part of the critical food supply chain; a series of coordinated attacks could lead to significant food waste and economic disruption.
- The repeat of the same method across multiple countries suggests an ongoing campaign that may expand further if vulnerabilities are not patched or isolated.
- The use of AI agents in recent intrusions indicates a lowering of technical barriers for launching destructive cyberattacks against physical infrastructure.
Background
The attack follows a similar one in France weeks earlier, which also targeted internet-connected freezers by remotely triggering defrost mode. Cybersecurity officials have pointed to the rise of AI tools as a factor enabling less skilled actors to execute sophisticated hacks. The October breach of South Korean banks, also linked to AI agents, is cited as another example of this trend. The incidents underline growing concerns about the security of IoT devices in critical commercial operations.
What to Watch
- Whether other European retailers experience copycat attacks or if the perpetrators shift to new regions.
- The speed at which refrigeration firms and supermarket chains implement the recommended migration to secure connections.
- Potential regulatory responses from EU member states or the European Commission on mandatory security standards for connected commercial equipment.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedA second cyberattack hit supermarket refrigeration systems in Belgium and Sweden.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “Just weeks after an 'unprecedented' cyberattack struck supermarket fridges in France, destroying foodstuffs, a similar hack has crippled supermarket chains in Belgium and Sweden, Bloomberg reports.”
- Partly supportedThe attack destroyed food in Belgium and Sweden.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “As with the previous attack, hackers remotely raised temperatures in these online-controlled freezers to 50 degrees Celsius, rapidly defrosting their contents and likely destroying millions of dollars worth of items.”
- SupportedAttackers remotely activated defrost mode, raising freezer temperatures to 50°C.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “hackers remotely raised temperatures in these online-controlled freezers to 50 degrees Celsius”
- SupportedThe attacks were likely to destroy millions of dollars’ worth of items.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “rapidly defrosting their contents and likely destroying millions of dollars worth of items.”
- SupportedThe attacks targeted supermarkets owned by Ahold Delhaize and stores belonging to ICA and Coop in Sweden.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “Hackers targeted supermarkets owned by Dutch outfit Ahold Delhaize, as well as ICA and Coop locations in Sweden.”
- SupportedThe attack on Belgian supermarkets began Sunday night at around midnight, according to Belga News Agency.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “Belga News Agency reports that a cyberattack targeting refrigeration units at Belgian supermarkets started on Sunday night at around midnight.”
- SupportedSabcobel estimates that at least 20 refrigeration units are affected across Belgium.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “Sabcobel, a refrigeration fitter in the region, estimates that at least twenty units are affected across Belgium.”
- SupportedHackers remotely activated built-in defrost mode, overriding temperature and defrost duration, as in the France attack.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “hackers remotely activated the freezer's built-in defrost mode, overriding the temperature and time spent defrosting, the exact same method as the France attack.”
- SupportedAftonbladet reported disruption in several ICA and Coop stores in Sweden.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “Aftonbladet reports refrigerators and freezers have been struck "in several ICA and Coop stores."”
- SupportedIca Kvantum wrote, “We are extremely sad and working hard to get everything back up and running,” on Facebook.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “"We are extremely sad and working hard to get everything back up and running," Ica Kvantum wrote on Facebook.”
- SupportedSabcobel CEO Stephan Moelans said the company had been working “very hard” to protect its fridges and that physical modifications were required.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “CEO Stephan Moelans said that while the company has been working "very hard" to protect its fridges against the vulnerability, physical modifications to its units are required.”
- SupportedSabcobel said switching units to a secure internet connection was the simplest interim solution and most of its customers had done so after the France attack.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “The company says switching units to a secure internet connection is the simplest solution in the meantime, a measure carried out by most of its customers in the wake of the France attack.”
