A growing number of European countries have reported suspicious overnight temperature spikes in grocery store refrigeration and freezing systems. Retailers and authorities across Sweden, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Estonia have pointed to alleged cyberattacks that starkly underscore the vulnerabilities inherent in modern digitalized operational technology systems that once relied primarily on mechanical controls.

John Billow, head of Sweden’s national cybersecurity centre, confirmed to Reuters that the agency is actively responding to multiple incidents affecting store cooling systems. He allegedly stated that authorities had identified numerous exposed operational technology devices in recent weeks that urgently required software updates and patches. Major Swedish operators ICA and Coop reported sudden and unexplained temperature increases in freezers at several locations.

In Ireland, SuperValu, the country’s third-largest supermarket chain, announced that refrigeration systems of a specific model were compromised by a purported cyber incident across 13 of its 223 stores. Meanwhile, in Belgium and Luxembourg, dozens of Ahold Delhaize stores experienced similar disruptions. Stephan Moelans, chief executive of refrigeration firm Sabcobel, claimed that the units' evaporators were deliberately switched to defrost mode.

The disruptions also reached Estonia, where at least one major supermarket chain was affected, according to technology supplier Kitman Coldtech. Kitman CEO Jann Mutso noted the sudden nature of the incident, mirroring similar large-scale attacks previously reported in France where refrigerator temperatures soared to 50 degrees Celsius (122F), resulting in widespread food spoilage and even localized fires.

Source: www.aljazeera.com