After the Netherlands, Belgian and Swedish supermarkets hacked

Following France and the Netherlands, supermarkets in Belgium and Sweden have now also been hit by cyberattacks targeting their refrigeration systems.

Delhaize confirms that at least forty stores in Flanders and Wallonia have been affected by the incident. The company describes it as an IT incident involving the refrigeration systems. According to Belgian media, temperatures in some refrigerators and freezers reportedly rose to 70 degrees Celsius. Delhaize cannot confirm this at this time.

In Sweden as well, problems arose last night with the refrigeration systems at a number of ICA supermarkets. Swedish media report that temperatures there are said to have risen to 50 degrees.

The incidents follow a cyberattack in October that affected the cooling systems of hundreds of French supermarkets. The attack caused the systems to malfunction, causing them to heat up instead of cool down. In some places, the temperature rose to 50 degrees.

Parent company Ahold Delhaize—which includes not only Delhaize and Albert Heijn but also Etos and Gall & Gall—also experienced a cyber incident in October. Several systems went down, causing websites and apps to be temporarily unavailable and disrupting supply chains. As a result, customers were temporarily unable to have groceries delivered that they had ordered online, and store shelves were less well-stocked for several days.