SuperValu

Summary

SuperValu, Ireland’s third-largest supermarket chain, reported that a specific model of refrigeration systems was affected by a cyber incident at 13 of its 223 stores. The event was part of a broader wave of suspected cyberattacks targeting grocery cooling systems across multiple European countries, where temperatures in fridges and freezers spiked to as high as 50 degrees Celsius, spoiling food and in some cases causing fires. Retailers in Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, Luxembourg, and Sweden reported overnight temperature increases, with additional incidents affecting Ahold Delhaize, Spar, ICA, Coop, and Axfood locations. No group claimed responsibility for the attacks.

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Description

SuperValu, Ireland's third-largest supermarket chain, reported that a specific model of refrigeration systems was affected by a cyber incident at 13 of its 223 stores. The incident was part of a wave of suspected cyberattacks that triggered overnight temperature spikes in grocery store refrigeration systems across multiple European countries, including Ireland, Belgium, Estonia, Luxembourg, and Sweden. Retailers and authorities pointed to alleged cyberattacks that underscored the vulnerability of systems that once largely operated mechanically. In Sweden, the head of the national cybersecurity centre, John Billow, confirmed that the centre was responding to multiple incidents affecting store cooling systems and noted that quite a lot of exposed operational technology devices in Sweden had been identified as needing updates or patches. Store operators ICA and Coop reported that freezer temperatures in several Swedish stores rose suddenly overnight, while Swedish retailer Axfood said freezers at a distribution centre for home delivery of groceries in the Gothenburg area were hacked. In Belgium, overnight temperature increases were reported at dozens of Ahold Delhaize stores in Belgium and Luxembourg, with the chief executive of refrigeration company Sabcobel, Stephan Moelans, attributing the issue to a cyberattack and stating that the units' evaporators were switched to defrost mode. Five Spar shops in Belgium also had their fridge systems attacked, according to a spokesperson for Colruyt Group. In Estonia, at least one supermarket chain was affected, with technology supplier Kitman Coldtech reporting that temperatures were set to 50 degrees Celsius.

The cyberattack on refrigeration systems at hundreds of supermarkets in France raised the temperature of fridges and freezers to as high as 50 degrees Celsius, spoiling food and causing fires at several stores. One Swedish store indicated in a social media post that the temperature of its refrigerators and freezers had been set to the same temperature as during the cyberattack in France. Privately held retailer Coop told Swedish daily Aftonbladet that six of its stores had been affected by similar incidents, while ICA stated that a limited number of stores were affected by an incident overnight that impacted refrigeration and freezer systems. Ahold Delhaize had previously reported a cybersecurity incident to Dutch police last month. There has been no claim of responsibility for the attacks. European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen described the attacks as a deliberate attempt to disrupt EU food supplies and undermine public confidence. A European Commission spokesperson said the incidents show that cyberattacks can disrupt services, affect businesses, and directly affect citizens' daily lives, stressing the importance of strengthening cybersecurity across the bloc. A spokesperson for The Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium noted that the rising number of cyberattack incidents, especially those resulting from the targeted use of AI, is an evolving trend, and added that authorities may never be able to identify who is behind the attack.

Sources

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