Cyberattacks hit supermarket refrigeration systems in Sweden and Belgium; food stocks at risk

Multiple supermarkets in Sweden and Belgium have been found to have been targeted by cyberattacks on their refrigeration and freezer systems, according to local media. The incident affected multiple ICA stores in Sweden, most of them in the southern region of Skåne, along with those on the island of Öland, in Varmland and Stockholm.

Six Coop stores in the regions of Gastrikland and Halsingland also experienced the same incident. In response, Mats Olsson, the store manager at ICA Nara in Boda, on Öland, claimed that he discovered water covering the floor and a freezer temperature reading of 55C (131F). In addition, he also found that the refrigeration units had reportedly been switched off, leaving food products spoiled.

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Owners of the shops respond

At an ICA store in Sankt Olof, manager Dennis Vidal also said that staff were trying to salvage the situation. “Right now we are emptying the freezers; there is not much else to do. They are about to get cold again, but everything is ruined,” he said.

In response to the incident, ICA press officer Gustaf Nilsson stated that the company was investigating the overnight disruption and helping all the affected stores. “We are aware that a limited number of stores have been affected by an incident during the night that affects their refrigeration and freezing systems,” he said.

Nilsson noted that the stores affected were connected outside ICA’s main network. The incident wasn’t isolated, similar disruptions struck supermarkets elsewhere in Europe, with dozens of Delhaize, Carrefour and Spar locations across Belgium and Luxembourg hit by what appeared to be the same IT incident.

Speaking to Belgian news agency Belga, Stephan Moelans, CEO of refrigeration installer Sabcobel, said the attack began around midnight on Sunday. Out of the hundreds of units his company oversees across Belgium, roughly 20 were affected. Moelans explained that the hackers gained remote access and forced the units’ evaporators into defrost mode, causing temperatures to climb and putting stored food at risk of spoiling.