Fastrack · Second Suspected Hack Hits Supermarket Freezers Across Europe

Temperatures in refrigerators and freezers rose overnight at dozens of supermarkets in Belgium, Sweden and Luxembourg. Retailers suspect a cyber-attack.

40 Delhaize and 15 Carrefour stores in Belgium were affected.
7 of Coop's more than 800 Swedish stores were hit.
13 SuperValu shops in Ireland were also affected.
50C was the freezer setting reported at one ICA store in Sweden.

Why it matters: The incidents mirror an October attack in France on cooling units at up to 700 supermarkets. Stores there discarded meat, dairy and frozen goods.

€270,000 in combined losses was reported by two stores in Alsace.
Most store cold aisles connect to the internet for remote maintenance.

The story so far

3 steps · since Oct 29

Oct 29Pentagon Probes Freezer Malfunctions as Suspected Cyberattack19 sources
Nov 1Suspected Hackers Raise Freezers in European Supermarkets4 sources
Nov 2Second Suspected Hack Hits Supermarket Freezers Across EuropeYou are hereLatest

How 9 sources split on this story

Source landscape

Factuality

High

Mixed

Low

Strong LeftLeftLean LeftCenterLean RightRightStrong Right

Political Bias

Coverage by lean% of 9 sources

9 sources · 11 articles · 45% Left coverage

Center coverage, 4 sources: The center sees a suspected cyber-attack spreading across several countries, with the culprit still unknown.

BBC News2hSupermarket freezers in Belgium and Sweden hit by suspected cyber-attack Bloomberg3hBelgian, Swedish Supermarkets Report New Suspected Freezer Hack CTV News1hEuropean supermarkets hit by new fridge cyber attack Newsweek39mEuropean countries hit by supermarket freezer cyberattacks

Left coverage, 4 sources: The left sees a second wave of attacks exposing weaknesses in internet-connected store equipment across Europe.

The Guardian2hSupermarket freezers across Europe hit by second suspected cyber-attack Business Insider2hEurope hit by another wave of grocery store freezer hacks The Independent10mCyber hackers 'turn fridges up to 50C' in supermarkets across Europe Al Jazeera1hFreezers in Sweden, Belgium overheat following possible cyberattacks

Right coverage, 1 sources: The right sees hackers repeating a costly French attack, with supplier Danfoss facing questions over outdated firmware.

Daily Mail3hCyber attackers defrost freezers in Swedish and Belgian supermarkets weeks after similar attack that cost shops millions in France

What’s next: Ahold Delhaize said it is assessing the incident and will share more information later.

France's cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, is investigating the October attack.
Danfoss says affected French units ran outdated firmware.
Who is behind the attacks, and are the French and Monday incidents connected?
Did the Belgian and Swedish stores use the same controllers targeted in France?