Supermarkets across at least nine European countries have reportedly been impacted by a cyber-attack on their refrigeration systems, resulting in food stock being destroyed.
Reports and official statements emerged about the incident on November 1 from supermarket retailers in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden.
At the time of writing, there is no confirmation about how the incident occurred or the perpetrators. However, the incident appears to be similar in nature to the cyber-attack on refrigeration systems providers Danfoss and Copeland in October 2026, which led to hackers changing temperatures on internet connected refrigerators across several chains of supermarkets in France.
Refrigerator temperatures were reportedly programmed to reach as high as 50°C (122°F), ruining food held in the affected fridges.
Among the retailers impacted in the latest incident is Ireland-based supermarket chain SuperValu. The Irish Times cited a spokesperson from the retailer, who confirmed the “cyber incident” affected a “specific model” of refrigerator used in SuperValu stores. The firm removed chilled and frozen products from shelves in 13 stores as a precautionary measure, the report added.
Among the Swedish retailers impacted were the ICA Sweden, with The Guardian reporting that one store had posted that its fridges and freezers had been hacked and their temperature set at 50°C.
Sweden’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said it was monitoring incidents that have affected freezer and refrigeration systems in the grocery trade in a release published on November 2.
“The centre is in contact with affected businesses and also has exchanges with its counterparts in several Nordic and other European countries,” the agency wrote.
Ikea is another company whose refrigeration units are reportedly impacted by the incident. A report by Agence France-Presse on November 3 cited a spokesperson who said the retailer’s outlet in Mons, Belgium, was hit by a cyber-attack that caused freezer temperatures to rise.
UK Food Suppliers Also Affected
Reports emerged on November 3 that businesses in the UK’s food supply chain have been impacted by the cyber-attack.
NCSC chief executive Richard Horne told the BBC’s ‘Today’ program that the agency is aware of "a couple of instances where vulnerable technology had been exploited in the UK."
Horne added that potentially affected companies have been alerted about the threat.
The comments came as the NCSC published its annual review, which warned that AI-powered malware is strongly expected to feature in ransomware attacks on the UK’s critical national infrastructure by 2028.
Attack a “Deliberate Attempt” to Disrupt Food Supplies
Speaking to Politico, EU Agriculture and Food Commissioner Christophe Hansen warned that the latest incidents, alongside the attack on Danfoss in October, “are a deliberate attempt to disrupt our food supply chain and undermine consumers’ confidence in it.”
Hansen noted: “Europe’s food supply chain must be prepared for new and evolving threats. The repeated cyber-attacks on supermarkets are deeply concerning, causing economic losses for retailers and empty shelves for consumers.”
He also told the news outlet that the attacks would be discussed at the next meeting of its Security College to assess retailers’ contingency plans and their ability to respond to incidents.
Hansen’s comments suggest that there could be suspicions on nation-state involvement in the series of attacks. So far, no threat actor has claimed responsibility for either the attack on Danfoss or the latest wave.
Speaking about the incident, Amir Preminger, CTO of Claroty, said: “This second wave of attacks on refrigeration systems in Europe highlights a growing trend: threat actors are increasingly targeting widespread, high-impact disruptions to essential services. Heightened geopolitical tensions have driven a surge in activity targeting critical infrastructure, while AI technologies enable attackers to rapidly scan networks for vulnerabilities and weaknesses in access controls.”