A suspected supermarket cyber-attack disrupted refrigerators and freezers across parts of Belgium, Sweden, Luxembourg and Ireland, forcing stores to discard large quantities of food. Authorities have not identified who was responsible.
Local media reported losses running into millions of euros. At one ICA store in Sjöbo, southern Sweden, freezer temperatures were reportedly changed to 50C (122F), an unusually ambitious setting for machinery intended to keep food frozen.
The latest disruption follows a similar incident that affected hundreds of supermarkets in France last month. National cybersecurity agencies in Belgium and Sweden said they were monitoring the situation.
Which supermarkets were affected?
Delhaize, one of Belgium's largest supermarket chains, said a "computer incident" occurred overnight at around 40 stores in Belgium and Luxembourg.
A Delhaize branch in Hoeilaart, in the Flemish Brabant province of Flanders, estimated that it had lost €100,000 worth of produce. The manager said that figure did not include the additional cost of closing the shop.
French-owned Carrefour said 15 of its Belgian stores were affected. The company said it took immediate measures and kept all of its shops open.
In Ireland, 13 SuperValu stores were also affected.
Swedish stores report altered temperatures
ICA confirmed that the incident affected a "small number of ICA stores operating outside ICA's central network".
"ICA is currently supporting the affected stores in managing the situation," a spokesperson said.
The ICA store in Sjöbo posted on social media: "Our refrigerators and freezers have been hacked overnight and they have set the temperature to 50 degrees."
The branch initially closed but later reopened. At another store on Odengatan in Stockholm, an employee was photographed disposing of bags of spoiled food.
Coop said seven of its approximately 800 Swedish stores were affected. The company described the situation as contained and under control.
Investigators have not publicly confirmed how the refrigeration systems were accessed or whether the incidents in the four countries were carried out by the same attacker.
