New Wave of Refrigeration Cyberattacks Hits Supermarkets Across Europe, Forcing Stores to Pull Food

Key Points:

• Attackers remotely manipulated refrigeration controls at supermarkets across Belgium, Sweden, Estonia, and other European countries, causing fridges and freezers to warm and spoil food; several dozen stores were affected in each country.
• The attacks targeted systems made by Danfoss and possibly other manufacturers like Copeland, exploiting outdated software and default passwords, with many incidents involving older controllers not updated or secured properly.
• Companies affected include major chains such as Delhaize, Carrefour, ICA, Coop, Musgrave (SuperValu), Selver, and others, with some describing the incidents as cyberattacks and others as IT or cyber incidents; financial losses were reported, such as €15,000 in ruined meat at one Belgian butcher.
• Security agencies and companies recommend disconnecting refrigeration systems from the internet or securing them via VPNs, updating firmware, changing default passwords, and replacing end-of-life devices to prevent further compromises; CERT-FR has issued detailed guidance on protective measures.
• Investigations are ongoing, with Belgian and Swedish authorities involved, but the perpetrators remain unknown and it is unclear if these attacks are linked to a similar incident in France three weeks earlier.