New wave of cyberattacks throws off supermarket freezers in seven European countries
Break-ins to refrigeration systems led to food being thrown out in Belgium, Sweden, Ireland and other countries, less than a month after a similar case in France.
Translated from the Portuguese original by the Panorama newsroom. Read in Portuguese
Summary written by the Panorama newsroom from the sources listed below. Facts are attributed to the original publications.
A new wave of cyberattacks hit European supermarkets on Monday (2), according to g1, in a report from Deutsche Welle. The attackers improperly changed the temperature of refrigerators and freezers in Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia, Finland, Belgium and Luxembourg, forcing food to be discarded.
The episode comes less than a month after a similar case that hit hundreds of stores in France. In Belgium, Carrefour said about 15 of its 700 stores were affected. Ikea had the freezers at one store in Mons raised remotely, and the Ahold Delhaize chain reported an IT incident that affected dozens of stores in Belgium and Luxembourg.
In Antwerp, the owner of a butcher chain told Reuters that his refrigerators were reprogrammed overnight to as high as 18°C, and that the criminals can tamper with the system remotely.
The report stresses that there was no ransom demand, which suggests possible intent to sabotage. The affected equipment uses technology from the company Danfoss, and experts warn that connected, remotely controlled devices are among hackers' preferred targets.
The attacks heightened fears of hybrid threats in Europe and exposed the digital vulnerability of the continent's food supply chain.