Europe's fridges are getting hacked. Could America be next?

Hackers compromised the refrigeration systems of supermarkets across Europe on Monday, sending temperatures in freezers and fridges soaring and forcing retailers to discard large quantities of spoiled food. The incident marks the latest escalation in a series of cyberattacks targeting commercial cooling equipment, raising urgent questions about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to digital intrusions. Grocery chains in Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Ireland, Estonia, Finland, and the Netherlands reported disruptions, with dozens of stores affected overnight. The attacks forced temperatures inside refrigerated units to rise dramatically. An ICA supermarket in Sjöbo, southern Sweden, stated on social media that its fridges and freezers had been set to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Similar extreme readings were reported in Estonia, where a local broadcaster noted that attackers accessed a computer controlling refrigeration and raised the temperature to the same level. In Belgium, Stephan Moelans, the chief executive of Sabcobel, a company that manages refrigeration systems for the Delhaize chain, told the Belga news agency that the intrusion was a cyberattack. He explained that hackers had switched the units' evaporators into defrost mode, effectively disabling the cooling function. Major retail groups confirmed the breaches. Ahold Delhaize, operating in the Netherlands and elsewhere, acknowledged an "IT incident" affecting refrigeration systems in numerous stores. The company said its teams were working to assess the situation. Colruyt Group, which operates Spar stores in Belgium through a franchise model, reported that five shops had their fridge systems attacked. Carrefour, another major Belgian chain, stated that a cyberattack targeting only refrigeration installations had an "extremely limited impact," affecting 15 of its more than 700 locations. In Ireland, food wholesaler Musgrave disclosed that a cyber incident impacted refrigeration systems in 13 of its SuperValu stores. The company said its monitoring systems detected the issue immediately, prompting the removal of certain chilled and frozen products from sale. Its investigation remains ongoing. Swedish retailer ICA clarified that its central systems were not directly breached. However, the company noted that a small number of stores using an external supplier with connectivity outside ICA's central network were affected. ICA stated it was supporting these specific stores in managing the fallout. In Sweden, the national cybersecurity center is coordinating responses to multiple incidents affecting grocery stores. John Billow, the head of the center, said authorities could not yet speculate on the identity of the perpetrators. He highlighted that Sweden has many exposed operational technology devices that require regular updates and patches, a warning his team has issued in recent weeks. This wave of attacks follows a similar campaign in France last month. During that incident, hackers seized control of hundreds of refrigeration units, causing fires and widespread food spoilage. French prosecutors confirmed that the October attacks resulted in significant financial damage. In the Alsace region alone, two markets reported combined losses of 270,000 euros. Other French stores recorded losses exceeding 130,000 euros each. Intermarché's parent company estimated its nationwide losses in the tens of millions of euros. France's finance minister, Roland Lescure, described the previous attack as touching the heart of food security and serving as a wake-up call for the sector. It remains unclear whether the current European-wide attacks are linked to the earlier French incidents. Security experts indicate that the vulnerabilities exploited involve internet-connected controllers. These small, computer-like devices, sometimes equipped with touchscreens, allow maintenance staff to monitor temperatures remotely without visiting every store physically. Hackers can exploit software flaws or use stolen login credentials to alter settings or trigger defrost cycles. Danish manufacturer Danfoss, whose units are widely used in European supermarkets, identified security flaws in its systems last year. The company had recommended that customers install updates to mitigate risks. In the Netherlands, some affected systems were found to be using default passwords and connected to unsecured networks. Security firm Claroty had warned in August that these specific refrigerator units were at risk of remote hacking and outages due to the lack of ongoing security updates. The potential implications extend beyond Europe. The Pentagon is currently investigating suspected cyberattacks involving refrigeration systems at six U.S. military commissaries. Reports suggest that U.S. Department of Defense officials are examining whether the freezer units on military bases were targeted by Iran-backed hackers. Iranian actors have previously been blamed for cyberattacks against U.S. water providers earlier this year. Many American supermarkets utilize refrigeration technology similar to that found in Europe, leading to concerns that the continent's vulnerabilities mirror those present domestically. The physical consequences of such digital intrusions are severe. When temperatures rise overnight, meat, dairy, and frozen products become unsafe to sell by the following morning. In some cases during the French attacks, high temperatures persisted for six hours. Beyond spoilage, overheating components can lead to electrical fires. While not every breach results in catastrophic loss, the threat is pervasive. In Estonia, a refrigeration company noted that technicians responded to a breach within minutes, halting major losses. This rapid response underscores the difficulty of defending against attacks that turn everyday, internet-connected equipment into physical hazards. As the investigation continues, retailers face the immediate task of discarding ruined inventory while grappling with the broader question of securing aging industrial hardware against sophisticated digital threats.