Co-op

Summary

Cyber-attacks targeting refrigeration systems disrupted supermarket chains across at least ten European countries, causing freezer temperatures to rise as high as 50 degrees Celsius and forcing retailers to discard spoiled food. Co-op locations in Sicily and Tuscany were among the affected businesses, with national authorities noting outdated security measures and exposed interfaces. The European Union characterized the incidents as a serious threat to the food supply chain, while several member states opened investigations into the breaches that also impacted other grocery retailers and corner shops.

Motives

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TTPs

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Description

A coordinated series of cyber-attacks struck supermarket refrigeration systems across at least ten European countries in early November 2026, affecting retailers in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Germany, and Sweden. The intrusions targeted temperature controls for freezers and refrigerators, causing temperatures in some units to rise as high as 50 degrees Celsius and forcing stores to discard spoiled food. In Italy, the national cybersecurity agency confirmed that at least four Co-op supermarkets in Sicily and one business in Tuscany were affected by the attacks. The broader campaign prompted European Union officials to warn of a deliberate attempt to disrupt the food supply chain, although no individual or organization claimed responsibility for the incidents. Food losses across the affected region were estimated in the tens of millions of euros, stemming from a prior attack on as many as 700 French grocery stores three weeks earlier as well as the November wave. The Italian government responded by calling a meeting with intelligence chiefs, while officials described the domestic impact as currently very limited. Most of Italy's food distribution chain was said to operate with up-to-date security systems able to fend off such attacks, a condition that did not apply to the affected Co-op locations. Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said the incidents were not isolated and that collective resilience and preparedness were necessary for such cyber incidents.

The office of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that the Co-op businesses affected in Sicily and Tuscany were mostly still equipped with obsolete security systems, with interfaces directly exposed to the internet and inadequate authentication mechanisms. These vulnerabilities allowed remote manipulation of refrigeration controls, leading to the temperature increases that compromised chilled and frozen inventory. Belgian federal prosecutors opened an investigation into the attacks after dozens of stores in that country reported refrigeration failures, and inquiries were initiated in several other European nations as well. The United Kingdom's National Cyber Security Centre advised British retailers to update software on fridge temperature controls after identifying a couple of instances where vulnerable technology had been exploited. Additional disruptions were reported at SuperValu stores in Ireland, Intermarché locations in Portugal, ICA stores in Sweden, Kesko-affiliated grocers in Finland, and a Rewe Büsken supermarket in Germany linked to an intrusion against system provider Danfoss. The European Union's food and agriculture commissioner said the bloc was taking the incidents very seriously and warned of further disruption in the future. No specific attribution for the Co-op incidents or the wider campaign was provided in the available reporting.

Sources

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