Supermarket freezers in Belgium and Sweden hit by suspected cyber-attack
Supermarkets in Belgium, Sweden, and Ireland have been targeted by a cyber-attack that remotely manipulated freezer and refrigerator temperatures. The incident caused significant food spoilage and follows a similar wave of attacks on French grocery stores last month.
Why it matters
This highlights the growing vulnerability of critical infrastructure and retail supply chains to remote cyber-attacks that can cause physical damage and financial loss.
Image source, AFP via Getty Images Image caption, Freezers have had to be emptied at several ICA grocery stores in Sweden after the cyber-attack
Dozens of supermarkets in Belgium and Sweden have been hit by a suspected cyber-attack affecting its refrigerators and freezers.
Around 40 Delhaize supermarkets and 15 Carrefour stores were affected in Belgium, while several ICA and Coop shops in Sweden were hit. Thirteen SuperValu shops have also been impacted in Ireland.
Thousands of euros worth of food has had to be thrown away, according to local media reports, with one ICA store in Sweden saying temperatures for its freezers had been set to 50 C (122F).
It is not clear who is behind the attack, which follows a similar incident last month that affected hundreds of French supermarkets.
Headlinne story · 6 newsrooms
Suspected Cyberattacks Disrupt Supermarket Refrigeration Systems Across European Countries
What every outlet reported, where they differ, and how each framed it →
Also covering this story
6 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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