Supermarket fridge hacks spoil food across Europe
A new wave of suspected cyberattacks hit supermarket refrigeration in several countries, forcing stores to discard thawed goods and absorb losses.
A suspected second wave of cyberattacks has disrupted supermarket refrigerators across Europe, leading to spoiled food in stores in Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and Sweden. The incidents stand out because a digital intrusion quickly turned into a physical problem, with direct losses for retailers and wasted food.
Supermarket groups Ahold Delhaize and Colruyt confirmed the hacks overnight. According to a Belgian company that operates Delhaize’s systems, the attackers changed refrigerator settings to defrost, Reuters reported. As IT-PUB News notes, that left stores throwing away goods that had thawed or were no longer safe to sell.
Food spoilage spread beyond a single market
The latest incidents follow earlier refrigerator hacks in France last month, when hundreds of supermarkets saw food spoilage after temperatures in their units were deliberately raised. That makes the new wave harder to dismiss as a one-off problem.
The affected stores are spread across several countries, which is part of what makes the case notable. This is not just about damaged equipment. When refrigeration fails in retail, even for a short time, the impact reaches inventory, logistics and waste disposal.
For supermarket operators, that means immediate losses. For shoppers, it can mean fewer available products and disruptions in store supplies, even if the cyberattack itself is invisible at the checkout.
Internet-connected refrigerators appear to be the weak point
Security researchers said the earlier attacks were linked to internet-connected refrigerators made by Danish company Danfoss. Those units were no longer receiving security updates, leaving them exposed.
Cybersecurity company Claroty had warned in August that the refrigerator units were vulnerable to remote hacks and outages. The latest incidents appear to fit that warning, although the source text does not say whether the same equipment was involved in every new case.
That detail matters. A refrigerator may look like a simple appliance, but once it is connected to the internet, it can be manipulated remotely like other digital systems. If those systems are not maintained, ordinary store equipment can become a target.
The attacks reached beyond IT systems into the food chain
The freezer incidents underline a broader point: cyberattacks do not always stay in the digital world. They can affect food supply chains, store operations and waste levels, especially when everyday infrastructure depends on connected devices.
The source points to a similar case in 2025, when a cyberattack on food distributor UNFI led to food shortages and empty shelves at grocery stores and supermarkets across the United States. It shows the same pattern on a larger scale — when a key system is disrupted, the effects can spread quickly to consumers.
That is one reason the supermarket cases are drawing attention beyond retail. They show how weak or overlooked cybersecurity practices can cause real-world damage, even in places not usually seen as high-profile digital targets.
Military and water systems are facing similar concerns
The source also says U.S. Department of Defense officials are reportedly investigating whether freezer units on military bases were hacked by Iran-backed hackers. It adds that Iranian hackers were also blamed for cyberattacks on U.S. water providers earlier this year.
Those references suggest the issue is not limited to supermarkets. Connected equipment in critical or semi-critical environments can become a target if it is exposed and not properly protected.
For retailers, the immediate problem is spoiled food and financial loss. The broader warning is how dependent modern infrastructure has become on networked devices that are often taken for granted — and how quickly the damage can move beyond the screen and into daily life.
