A cyberattack targeting supermarket refrigeration systems has affected stores across Europe, forcing retailers to deal with rising temperatures in refrigerators and freezers and the loss of large quantities of food.
Supermarkets in Belgium, Sweden, the Netherlands, Estonia, Luxembourg, Finland and Ireland have reported problems with their cooling systems. In some locations, refrigeration units were reportedly adjusted to temperatures as high as 70 degrees Celsius, leaving food unsafe for sale and resulting in losses estimated at hundreds of thousands of euros.
The incident came to public attention on Monday, November 2, after Belgian media reported that several supermarket chains had experienced overnight disruptions to their refrigeration systems. The affected retailers included Delhaize, Carrefour, Intermarché and Spar, with reports also emerging from other businesses.
Belgium’s Centre for Cybersecurity (CCB) confirmed that it was aware of an incident involving supermarket refrigeration systems. However, the organisation said it could not provide further details. Its spokesperson, Katrien Eggers, told the Belgian news agency Belga, “We are aware of an incident, but have no further information.”
Reports from Belgian newspaper Le Soir indicated that approximately 40 Delhaize Proxy supermarkets, 15 Carrefour Shop & Go stores, 15 Intermarché outlets and five Spar locations operating at Q8 service stations had been affected. Butchery group De Laet en Van Haver also reported problems with its refrigeration equipment. IKEA’s store in Bergen, near Mons, was reportedly among the affected locations.
Delhaize confirmed that an IT incident had affected refrigeration systems in several dozen of its stores. The supermarket chain said it had taken immediate steps to keep its outlets operating.
Carrefour Belgium also acknowledged the incident. Company spokesperson Mich Vergauwen described it as a cyberattack, although he said the impact on the retailer had been limited.
The attack is believed to have taken place between Sunday night and Monday morning, when criminals interfered with the systems controlling refrigeration equipment. The incident has raised concerns because it appears to involve the same vulnerability exploited in an earlier attack in France in October.
Stephan Moelans, chief executive of Sabcobel, the refrigeration installation company responsible for managing cooling equipment at Delhaize, told Belga that the Belgian incident involved the same mechanism as the French attack.
According to Moelans, the disruption occurred when refrigeration units were switched into defrost mode, causing temperatures to rise instead of remaining at the levels required to preserve food.
He said Sabcobel had been working to protect its customers’ refrigeration systems against the vulnerability following the incident in France. However, he warned that installing a software update alone would not completely resolve the problem. Physical modifications to the equipment would also be necessary.
Moelans said one of the simplest ways to improve protection was to manage refrigeration units through a secure internet connection. He added that many of Sabcobel’s customers had already adopted this approach following the French incident.
The company was aware of approximately 20 affected refrigeration units among the hundreds it manages across Belgium.
Danfoss, the company that supplied the software used in the refrigeration systems involved in both the Belgian and French incidents, pointed to outdated software as a major factor. A company spokesperson told Belgian broadcaster VTM NIEUWS that customers had previously been advised to move to newer software to address the vulnerability.
There is currently no confirmed information about who carried out the latest attack or whether the same individuals or group were responsible for the earlier incident in France.
The disruption has not been limited to Belgium. In Sweden, supermarket chain ICA reportedly experienced problems with refrigeration systems at several of its stores during the same period.
In Ireland, 13 SuperValu supermarkets were affected by a suspected cyberattack, according to a statement from the chain’s owner, Musgrave.
Estonian media reported that one Selver supermarket had experienced problems, while the Netherlands recorded a wider incident involving the cooling and freezing systems of at least 17 companies. Danfoss confirmed the Dutch cases but did not disclose the identities of the businesses involved.
In Luxembourg, Delhaize temporarily suspended its ordering systems as a precaution against a similar disruption.
Finland has also reported affected retailers. Finnish media said several K Group supermarkets had experienced problems with their refrigeration systems. K Group is one of the country’s largest retail businesses, making the reports particularly relevant to the Finnish grocery sector.
The latest incidents follow a cyberattack reported in France on October 12, 2026, when hundreds of supermarkets belonging to the Intermarché and Coopérative U chains experienced disruptions to their refrigeration systems. The similarities between the two incidents have raised questions about whether weaknesses in remotely managed supermarket equipment could expose food retailers across different countries to coordinated or repeated attacks.
Although the full scale of the latest incident remains unclear, the disruption demonstrates how a cyberattack on equipment that customers rarely think about can quickly become a major operational problem. Supermarket refrigeration systems are essential for preserving meat, dairy products, frozen foods and other perishable goods. When those systems fail or are manipulated, retailers face not only equipment and security concerns but also the cost of disposing of food that can no longer be sold.
