Suspected Cyberattacks Hit Supermarket Freezers Across Europe, Spoiling Food as Temperatures Rise

Grocery stores in several European countries are dealing with incidents affecting refrigerator and freezer systems that appear to be the results of cyberattacks. Officials from affected companies told ABC News and local public broadcasters about the incidents.

Refrigeration systems malfunctioned on Monday in Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands and Estonia.

In each incident, the reported cyberattacks altered the settings and functioning of refrigerator and freezer units, resulting in food spoilage.

According to statements obtained by ABC News, the targets appear to have been smaller stores and only a limited number of each chain's retail locations were affected.

Swedish grocery chains ICA and Coop confirmed to ABC News that some of their stores had been affected. ICA said there was an incident overnight affecting a small number of ICA stores operating outside ICA's central network, and Coop said the incident affected seven out of more than 800 stores.

According to a Coop spokesperson, the situation was contained and under control.

Coop added that the incident occurred ahead of a planned system upgrade, which had been in the works because of a similar issue affecting French grocery stores last month. At that time, hundreds of stores saw fridges and freezers similarly hacked and temperatures set to 50 degrees Celsius, or 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Most of the systems targeted then were reportedly using outdated software.

One ICA grocery store in Sjobo, Sweden, posted on social media that overnight its refrigerators and freezers were hacked and the temperature was set to 50 degrees.

Belgian supermarket chains Delhaize and Carrefour were also affected, representatives told ABC News, with Delhaize referring to it as an IT incident. A Carrefour spokesperson said the impact was very limited, currently 15 of its 700 stores were affected, and all stores remained open because it only concerned a few refrigeration units, mainly freezers.

Musgrave, which owns Irish grocery chain SuperValu, told Irish broadcaster RTE that 13 stores had been affected by a suspected cyberattack that affected a specific refrigeration model. Dutch refrigeration company Danfoss told public broadcaster NOS that seventeen facilities using its refrigeration systems, such as frozen product storage and butcher shops, were affected by a cyberattack of the kind that hit French stores last month. Danfoss systems were affected at the time in France as well.

According to Reuters, several military bases in the United States experienced similar cyberattacks in August. At least six commissaries, on-base grocery stores, had been affected in ways similar to the recent European attacks, including the October incidents in France. According to Reuters, the Pentagon is investigating the incidents.