Cyberattacks heat up European supermarket refrigeration controllers in multiple countries

Cyberattacks targeting internet-exposed refrigeration controllers caused fridges and freezers to heat up overnight at more than 100 European stores, SecurityWeek and eDairyNews reported. The incidents affected retailers across several countries including Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Sweden, according to SecurityWeek. [2][3]

The disruptions impacted Danfoss and Copeland refrigeration controllers, SecurityWeek reported. Affected businesses ranged from major supermarket chains to small local butcher shops. OfficeChai reported that the overnight heating put systems into defrost mode, destroying millions of euros of fresh food and dairy stocks. [2][3][4]

Dark Reading reported that the incident highlights broader risks to temperature-controlled infrastructure across critical sectors due to connected systems and inadequate security practices. SecurityWeek noted that the tactics closely resemble cyberattacks that disrupted European supermarkets three weeks earlier. [1][2]