Grocery store cooling systems in Sweden, Belgium, and Luxembourg experienced sudden temperature increases following suspected cyberattacks, authorities and retail operators reported on Monday.
John Billow, head of Sweden's national cybersecurity centre, confirmed to Reuters that the agency is responding to multiple incidents impacting store refrigeration. Swedish supermarket operators ICA and Coop stated that freezer temperatures at several locations rose overnight. In one instance, a Swedish store noted on social media that its refrigeration units reached temperatures matching those recorded during a previous attack.
Across Belgium and Luxembourg, dozens of Ahold Delhaize stores similarly reported overnight temperature spikes in their cooling units. Stephan Moelans, chief executive of refrigeration company Sabcobel, attributed the disruption to a cyberattack, according to the Belga news agency. Ahold Delhaize acknowledged an "IT incident" affecting its fridges and freezers and stated that an investigation is underway. The company had previously reported a cybersecurity incident to Dutch police last month.
