Freezer Failures Reach Supermarkets in Five European Countries After Suspected Cyberattacks
Supermarkets in several European countries reported freezer and fridge problems on Monday, November 2, and PBS reported that the problems were linked to apparent cyberattacks. The incidents followed a similar episode in France, where cooling equipment in stores was disrupted before the wider reports emerged.
A cyberattack is an attack carried out through computer systems. In France, Reuters reported that the attack overrode temperature controls on commercial cooling units in more than 350 establishments. Separately, Fortune reported that hackers pushed freezers at hundreds of French supermarkets to 122 degrees.
Supermarkets in Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, Luxembourg and Sweden then reported freezer malfunctions after the earlier attack in France, according to Deutsche Welle. Reuters reported on November 2 that stores in six European countries had problems affecting refrigeration systems, and one Swedish grocery chain's freezers were among those reported to have warmed sharply.
The pattern has also appeared in the United States. The Pentagon, the headquarters of the US Department of Defense, is treating freezer malfunctions at US military bases as a suspected cyberattack, Reuters reported. Nextgov reported that the malfunctions spoiled food at military bases across the country.
The reports so far describe the problems as apparent or suspected, and the sources do not establish who was behind the attacks. Investigators in the affected countries have not been named, and the scale of the spoiled food in Europe has not been detailed.
