Supermarket freezers in Belgium and Sweden hit by suspected cyber-attack
One store in Sweden says temperatures for its freezers were set to 50 C (122F).
Supermarket freezers in Belgium and Sweden hit by suspected cyber-attack
Dozens of supermarkets in Belgium and Sweden have been affected by a suspected cyber-attack that targeted their refrigerators and freezers.
In Belgium, about 40 Delhaize supermarkets and 15 Carrefour stores were hit, while several ICA and Coop shops in Sweden were also affected. Thirteen SuperValu shops in Ireland have likewise been impacted.
Local media reports say thousands of euros’ worth of food has had to be discarded, with one ICA store in Sweden saying its freezer temperatures had been set to 50 C (122F).
It is still unclear who is responsible for the attack, which comes after a similar incident last month that affected hundreds of French supermarkets.
Delhaize, one of Belgium’s largest supermarket chains, told Belgian media that a "computer incident" had taken place overnight at 40 shops.
Carrefour, the French-owned supermarket group, said it was "currently analysing" the incident at 15 of its Belgian stores.
A spokesperson for ICA in Sweden said the incident had affected a "small number of ICA stores operating outside ICA's central network".
"ICA is currently supporting the affected stores in managing the situation," they said.
One of the IVA branches in Sjöbo, southern Sweden, posted on social media: "Our refrigerators and freezers have been hacked overnight and they have set the temperature to 50 degrees."
The store had been closed earlier but has since reopened to customers.
Seven of Sweden’s 800 Coop stores are also affected, but the "situation is currently contained and under control", the company told the BBC.