BRUSSELS: Dozens of supermarkets across six European countries have been affected by a suspected cyberattack targeting refrigeration systems, forcing several stores to empty their freezers and discard large quantities of food.
Around 40 Delhaize supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg were affected, while a smaller number of stores in Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands and Estonia also reported disruptions.
Belgian refrigeration manufacturer Sabcobel said the evaporators in affected units had been switched to defrost mode, causing refrigerators and freezers to warm up. The method is believed to be similar to that used in an incident last month that affected hundreds of supermarkets in France.
Local media reports said food worth millions of euros had been thrown away following the disruptions.
Sabcobel chief executive Stephan Moelans confirmed to the Belga news agency that the incident was a cyberattack. He said the company had worked through the night and into the morning to disconnect affected refrigeration units from the network.
Moelans added that Sabcobel had been working to protect customers’ refrigeration systems against the vulnerability since the French incident in early October. However, he said the issue required physical modifications to the units rather than software updates alone.