Cyberattack reportedly forces supermarket fridges into defrost across Europe
Tom's Hardware, citing La DĂ©pĂȘche in France and NOS in the Netherlands, reports an ongoing cyberattack that has reportedly struck major supermarket chains across Europe. France, Belgium and the Netherlands are reportedly affected. The attack is said to have disrupted refrigeration control systems, and also to be affecting deliveries and in-store pricing powered by electronic shelf labels.
In France, according to La DĂ©pĂȘche, several major retailers have been targeted. The hit is said to have landed on Danfoss-made refrigeration controls used by IntermarchĂ©, Leclerc and CoopĂ©rative U. Dominique Schelcher, president of CoopĂ©rative U, confirmed as of Monday morning that "A cyberattack has been affecting the refrigeration production facilities of several stores in our network since last night." He said teams had been mobilized to fix the issue and promised an investigation, calling the incident "extremely serious."
The report states that the units' automatic defrosting systems were activated, and that the hackers also configured the function, which normally runs for just two hours a day, into a continuous, forced defrost cycle with the temperature set to 50 degrees Celsius. Sources reportedly described "a wave of heat" escaping from fridges and freezers. Early reports put losses at close to 300,000 euros so far, with a possible several million euros nationwide.
Separately, NOS reports that several Dutch supermarket chains were hit by a malfunction caused by a cybersecurity incident on Sunday afternoon. The websites of Albert Heijn, Etos and Gall & Gall were taken down, which affected deliveries. Electronic shelf labels were also compromised, disrupting in-store pricing. Albert Heijn said in a statement: "We have immediately taken measures to protect our IT environment. Part of this involves the preventive temporary shutdown of a number of systems." Belgium's Delhaize chain, which belongs to Albert Heijn, has also reported disruption. Images online show stores in Amsterdam warning customers about price problems and the suspension of loyalty programs.
It is unclear at this stage whether the French and Dutch attacks are related, or how widespread either of them is.
Key facts
- An ongoing cyberattack has reportedly hit supermarket chains in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, disrupting refrigeration controls, deliveries and in-store pricing.
- In France the targets are reportedly Danfoss-made refrigeration controls used by Intermarché, Leclerc and Coopérative U; Coopérative U's president Dominique Schelcher confirmed an attack on Monday morning.
- Units were reportedly set to defrost continuously at 50 degrees Celsius; the function normally runs for about two hours a day.
- In the Netherlands, NOS reports that Albert Heijn, Etos and Gall & Gall websites went down and electronic shelf labels were compromised; Belgium's Delhaize also reported disruption.
- Early loss reports approach 300,000 euros and could reach several million euros nationwide; it is unclear whether the French and Dutch incidents are related.
Why it matters
Most attacks on retailers hit tills, websites or customer data. This one is reported to reach the physical cold chain: refrigeration controls pushed into a forced defrost cycle, with heat reportedly escaping from fridges and freezers. The same incident is also said to disrupt deliveries, shelf-label pricing and loyalty programs, so a single compromise touches stock, logistics and the shop floor at once. The Tom's Hardware headline calls the attack "unprecedented".
Who it affects
In France, the reported targets are Intermarché, Leclerc and Coopérative U, all said to use Danfoss-made refrigeration controls. In the Netherlands, Albert Heijn, Etos and Gall & Gall had their websites taken down, which hit deliveries. Belgium's Delhaize, which belongs to Albert Heijn, reported disruption too. Shoppers in Amsterdam were warned about price problems and suspended loyalty programs.
How to use it
There is no product or tool to adopt here. The story is a case study in what happens when remotely controllable refrigeration and shelf-label systems are compromised. The source gives no guidance for operators. Reader comments under the article include one hope that the short-term fix is simply to power-cycle the fridges and disable their online connectivity, but that is a commenter's wish, not something the report says anyone has done.
How solid is it
Mixed. Tom's Hardware is relaying La DĂ©pĂȘche and NOS rather than reporting first-hand, and it uses "reportedly" throughout. The strongest piece is on the record: CoopĂ©rative U's president Dominique Schelcher confirmed the attack and called it "extremely serious." Albert Heijn issued a statement about preventive shutdowns. The 50 degrees Celsius setting, the "wave of heat" and the loss figures come from the La DĂ©pĂȘche report and unnamed sources, and the article does not verify them.
Risks and caveats
The article says it is unclear whether the French and Dutch attacks are related or how widespread either is, and Danfoss is not named in the Dutch part. No perpetrator, group or motive is named, and no attack vector is given for how the Danfoss controls or shelf labels were compromised. No statement from Danfoss, Intermarché or Leclerc is quoted. There is no confirmation that food spoiled or was destroyed, no timescale for restoring systems, and no ransom demand is mentioned. The "several million euros" figure is an estimate of what losses could reach, not a tally. The article gives only "Sunday" and "Monday", not calendar dates.
âA cyberattack has been affecting the refrigeration production facilities of several stores in our network since last night.â
â Dominique Schelcher, president of CoopĂ©rative U, as of Monday morning