Cyberattacks Raise Temperatures in Nordic and Benelux Grocery Freezers

Grocery store refrigeration systems across three European nations experienced sudden temperature rises on Monday.

John Billow, the head of Sweden’s national cybersecurity centre, confirmed that authorities are responding to multiple incidents affecting store cooling infrastructure. Swedish operators ICA and Coop stated that freezers at several locations heated up overnight. A spokesperson for the privately held ICA chain wrote in an email to Reuters that the incident impacted refrigeration and freezer systems at a limited number of stores. The retailer Coop told the Swedish daily Aftonbladet that six of its locations were affected by similar events.

In Belgium and Luxembourg, dozens of Ahold Delhaize stores reported overnight temperature increases. Stephan Moelans, the chief executive of refrigeration company Sabcobel, attributed the issue to a cyberattack in a report by the Belga news agency. A spokesperson for the supermarket chain previously described the event as an IT incident affecting fridges and freezers. The company is currently investigating the specific cause of the malfunction.

The disruptions mirror a recent attack on hundreds of French supermarkets, where temperatures climbed to 50 degrees Celsius, or 122 Fahrenheit. That incident spoiled food and triggered fires at several stores. One Swedish retailer noted on social media that its refrigerators had been set to the same temperature as those affected in France. Ahold Delhaize reported a separate cybersecurity incident to Dutch police last month, indicating a pattern of digital threats targeting retail logistics.