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A fresh wave of cyberattacks has hit Europe's supermarket refrigerators, destroying food across countries
TechCrunch • • world
Key Points:
- A second wave of cyberattacks has targeted supermarket refrigerators across Europe, causing temperature increases that led to food spoilage in stores in Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, and Sweden.
- Major supermarket chains Ahold Delhaize and Colruyt confirmed the hacks, with attackers reportedly changing refrigerator settings to defrost, resulting in significant food losses.
- The attacks follow similar incidents in France last month involving internet-connected refrigerators made by Danish company Danfoss, which had ceased providing security updates.
- Security experts had warned about vulnerabilities in these units, highlighting the broader risks posed by weak cybersecurity in critical food supply infrastructure.
- These incidents demonstrate how cyberattacks can disrupt food supply chains, echoing a 2025 attack on US food distributor UNFI that caused widespread shortages in grocery stores.
