Hackers hit Europe's supermarket freezers again

Suspected second wave of cyberattacks hits supermarket refrigeration across Europe.

According to TechCrunch, fridges increased in temperature and food spoiled at dozens of stores in Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and Sweden. The Register reports around 40 Delhaize stores in Belgium were affected after attackers reportedly switched fridges and freezers into defrost mode overnight between Sunday and Monday.

Ahold Delhaize said it identified "an IT incident affecting the refrigeration systems in several dozen stores." Carrefour said 15 of its 700 stores are affected, and Coop said 7 of more than 800. Musgrave told RTE at least 13 SuperValu stores in Ireland are affected. One Ica Kvantum store in Sweden said on Facebook its temperatures were remotely raised to 50°C (122°F), per The Verge. A Delhaize store manager told RTL Info the consequences were "catastrophic."

The earlier attack on French supermarkets last month caused food spoilage at hundreds of stores. Sabcobel's director told RTL the attacker used the same vulnerability, per BleepingComputer, but The Register says it remains unclear whether the methods were the same. None of the companies that spoke to The Register on Monday responded to questions about who was behind the intrusions.

What to watch: whether any company or investigator identifies the cause or the culprit.

The facts we checked

According to BleepingComputer, TechCrunch, The Register and The Verge, citing company statements and local reports

1. A second wave of cyberattacks is suspected to have hit supermarket refrigerators across Europe, causing fridges to increase temperatures and spoil food at dozens of stores across Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and Sweden.Reported · TechCrunch
2. Ahold Delhaize said: "We have identified an IT incident affecting the refrigeration systems in several dozen stores."Quote · BleepingComputer
3. Around 40 Delhaize stores in Belgium were affected after attackers reportedly switched fridges and freezers into defrost mode overnight between Sunday and Monday.Reported · The Register
4. ICA said: "We can confirm that we have been informed of an incident overnight affecting a small number of ICA stores operating outside ICA's central network."Quote · The Register
5. One Ica Kvantum store in Sweden said on Facebook that its fridges and freezers were hacked overnight, with temperatures remotely raised to 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit).Reported · The Verge
6. Coop told BleepingComputer: "7 out of more than 800 stores" were affected overnight into Monday.Quote · BleepingComputer
7. Carrefour said: "currently 15 of our 700 stores are affected, both in Flanders and Wallonia."Quote · BleepingComputer
8. At least 13 SuperValu stores in Ireland are affected, with fresh and frozen food being thrown out, according to parent company Musgrave speaking to RTE.Reported · The Register
9. Delhaize store manager Diego Louwers told RTL Info the consequences were "catastrophic" and the store had to throw out all its fresh and frozen products.Quote · The Register
10. Sabcobel director Stephan Moelans told RTL the attacker used the same vulnerability as in the French attacks last month.Reported · BleepingComputer
11. It remains unclear if the latest attacks used the same methods as those in France last month.Reported · The Register
12. The earlier attack on French supermarkets last month caused food spoilage at hundreds of stores.Reported · TechCrunch
13. None of the companies that spoke to The Register on Monday responded to questions about who was behind the intrusions.Fact · The Register

Sources

• BleepingComputerHackers disrupt refrigeration systems at European supermarkets
• TechCrunchA fresh wave of cyberattacks has hit Europe’s supermarket refrigerators, destroying food across countries
• The RegisterFrozen part II: Hackers remotely defrost produce in Euro supermarkets ... again
• The VergeMore European supermarkets are getting their freezers hacked
• The GuardianSupermarket freezers across Europe hit by second suspected cyber-attack
• Tom's HardwareSupermarket freezers across Europe struck in second crippling cyberattack