Suspected cyber-attack hits supermarket fridges and freezers across Europe
Dozens of supermarkets across seven European countries were hit by a suspected cyber-attack that affected their fridges and freezers. BBC News reported the incidents on Sunday. Hackers remotely overrode the settings on thousands of freezers, fridges and chiller cabinets, the refrigerated display units found in shops, according to The Guardian.
Among the chains whose equipment was affected were Intermarché and Coopérative U. In Belgium, Ahold Delhaize and Colruyt both said an overnight IT incident had hit fridges and freezers in dozens of their stores, according to CNBC.
The effects on temperature have been severe in some places. Al Jazeera reported that hackers raised the temperature of refrigerators and freezers at French supermarkets to as high as 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). Earlier, in October, Reuters reported that a cyberattack that heated fridges at French supermarkets had sparked fires. NBC News reported that fridge cyberattacks caused temperature spikes and spoiled food at stores in Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and Estonia.
In the UK, the National Cyber Security Centre, the government's cyber agency, said it was working with international partners and industry to understand the supermarket incidents. It said it was unaware of any impact on the UK. Researchers from UK Cyber Defence identified more than 800 refrigeration and building-control interfaces associated with British retailers that can be accessed over the public internet. The BBC reported that there is no evidence domestic appliances were targeted in the November attacks.
UK law has required manufacturers of certain consumer smart devices to meet minimum cyber security standards since April 2024, including requirements around passwords and security updates. The sector has seen earlier scares. In 2015, researchers demonstrated a vulnerability in a Samsung smart fridge that could allow interception of internet traffic. In May 2025, the UK retailers M&S and the Co-op were targeted by ransomware hackers and struggled to stock some shelves with fresh deliveries.
