Hackers remotely manipulated refrigeration systems, causing temperatures to soar to 50°C, spoiling food stocks and exposing a new threat to everyday infrastructure.
Who would have thought that even supermarket refrigerators and freezers could be hacked?
Cyberattacks are usually associated with banks, airlines, technology companies and major computer systems. But a series of attacks across Europe has shown that even the freezers keeping meat, vegetables and frozen food fresh can become targets of hackers.
Supermarkets in nine European countries were affected by a wave of cyberattacks on November 2, following an earlier attack that targeted approximately 700 supermarkets, butcher shops and food-processing facilities in France in October.
The attacks caused refrigeration systems to malfunction, forcing retailers to discard large quantities of spoiled food. At one supermarket in Sweden, freezer temperatures reportedly reached a staggering 50°C (122°F).
Unlike an ordinary power failure, the incidents involved hackers interfering with the digital systems responsible for controlling refrigeration equipment.
Nine countries hit, food stocks destroyed
The November attacks affected supermarkets in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden, according to reports by AFP and Euronews.
Major retailers affected included Carrefour, Delhaize, Colruyt, Spar, ICA, Coop, SuperValu and Intermarché. At least one IKEA store in Belgium was affected.
In Stockholm, Sweden, staff at an ICA supermarket discovered that their freezers had reached 50°C following an overnight cyberattack.
“Everything is destroyed,” sales manager Engla Ingwall told Reuters as workers dealt with the spoiled products.
In Belgium, around 15 Carrefour stores experienced refrigeration problems, while dozens of Delhaize locations in Belgium and Luxembourg reported disruptions.
In Ireland, 13 SuperValu stores were affected, while seven Intermarché supermarkets in Portugal reported similar incidents.
Across Europe, more than 100 establishments were affected during the November wave alone.
How did hackers attack supermarket freezers?
The answer lies in how modern supermarkets operate.
Unlike traditional household refrigerators, many commercial refrigeration systems are connected to the internet, allowing operators and maintenance companies to monitor and adjust temperatures remotely.
These systems help businesses keep food at safe temperatures and immediately identify equipment problems.
However, they can become vulnerable when hackers gain unauthorized access to their digital controls.
In the European attacks, refrigeration settings were reportedly manipulated remotely, causing some freezers to stop cooling properly or switch to defrost mode.
Instead of maintaining temperatures as low as minus 18°C, affected equipment began warming up, spoiling food that had been stored inside.
The hackers did not have to physically enter the stores or shut down the electricity supply.
They could interfere with refrigeration equipment through connected control systems, sometimes while supermarkets were closed overnight.
Some affected equipment used technology supplied by Danish manufacturer Danfoss, whose systems have come under scrutiny following the incidents.
Earlier attack targeted 700 locations in France
The November cyberattacks followed an earlier incident on October 11–12 that targeted approximately 700 retail and food-related locations across France.
The affected sites included supermarkets, butcher shops and food-processing facilities.
French investigators reported that the attacks caused extensive food losses and were associated with at least 15 fires.
Authorities estimated that the damage could reach tens of millions of euros, highlighting how a cyberattack against ordinary business equipment can result in serious financial and physical consequences.
The French incident and the November attacks represent two separate waves, and investigators have not conclusively established that the same perpetrators carried out both.
Who is behind the attacks?
French authorities have accused a cyber unit linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of carrying out the October attacks.
On November 9, French officials identified the suspected unit as Shahid Kaveh, saying investigators had found technical evidence connecting it to the incident.
Iran has rejected the accusations.
Meanwhile, Belgium continues to investigate the November attacks.
On November 13, Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin said Iran was very likely responsible, although Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot cautioned that there was insufficient evidence for an official attribution.
No definitive conclusion has been announced linking the perpetrators of both waves.
Latest warning: More refrigeration systems remain at risk
The cyber threat may not be over.
On November 13, Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security warned that some industrial cooling systems remained vulnerable to cyberattacks.
The agency urged businesses to protect remote connections, install available software updates and avoid exposing refrigeration control systems directly to the internet.
The incidents have raised broader concerns about other facilities that depend on connected temperature-control equipment, including food warehouses, cold-storage facilities, pharmaceutical companies and logistics operations.
The attacks demonstrate how cybercrime is moving beyond stolen passwords, compromised emails and hacked computers, with hackers now capable of disrupting physical equipment that businesses and consumers depend on every day.
In today’s increasingly connected world, even the supermarket freezer keeping your food fresh can become a target.
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