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A cyberattack caused refrigeration units in at least 40 Delhaize and 15 Carrefour supermarkets in Belgium to heat up. Similar incidents have also been reported in Sweden.
A cyberattack targeted refrigeration and freezer systems at dozens of supermarkets across Belgium during the night of November 1–2. Belgian media and Dutch news agency ANP reported the incidents. According to these reports, at least 40 stores belonging to supermarket chain Delhaize, part of Dutch retail group Ahold Delhaize, were affected. Delhaize confirmed only an “IT incident” involving some of its refrigeration systems. Carrefour Belgium reported 15 affected stores on Monday morning. Belgian butcher chain De Laet & Van Haver also reported a sudden, significant increase in the temperatures of its refrigeration units.
Supermarkets in Sweden Also Affected
Swedish media reported a possible attack on refrigeration and freezer equipment at several ICA supermarket locations on Monday morning. Temperatures reportedly rose to as high as 50 degrees Celsius overnight. It remains unclear whether the incidents are connected or which control systems and manufacturers are involved. A spokesperson was initially unable to confirm whether Albert Heijn, another supermarket chain owned by Ahold Delhaize in the Netherlands, had experienced similar problems.
Similar Pattern to Attack in France
The incidents bear similarities to an attack on supermarkets in France during the night of October 11–12. In that case, attackers remotely tampered with the controls of refrigeration units at numerous stores, triggering a continuous defrost cycle and setting target temperatures as high as 50 degrees Celsius.
Initial findings indicated that control systems manufactured by Danish company Danfoss were affected. Some of their maintenance interfaces were accessible over the internet. Ahold Delhaize stores were not affected by that attack.
Following the incident in France, Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) urged operators of smaller facilities to secure control systems accessible from the internet. BSI President Claudia Plattner warned that similar attacks could happen at any time. The agency’s primary recommendation is to block direct internet access to control systems and allow remote access only through VPN connections protected by multi-factor authentication.
Second Cyber Incident for Ahold Delhaize
This is the second cyberattack involving Ahold Delhaize within just a few weeks. In mid-October, the retail group was forced to shut down numerous IT systems following an attack. The disruption affected supply chains, logistics and stores operated by Albert Heijn, drugstore chain Etos and other brands, including locations in the United States.
Operations only returned to normal last week. In Belgium, Delhaize operates around 130 supermarkets under its own brand, more than 200 AD Delhaize stores and several hundred smaller retail outlets.
(Editorial Team)
