Cyberattack Spoils Tonnes of Food Across Three European Nations
Hackers targeted refrigeration systems in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, causing massive food spoilage and system shutdowns across several major supermarket chains.
A large-scale cyberattack targeting refrigeration control systems has crippled major supermarket chains across France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Hackers exploited equipment manufactured by Danfoss to trigger continuous forced defrosting cycles, raising temperatures to 50 degrees Celsius and spoiling tonnes of fresh and frozen food.
In France, Intermarché was the hardest hit with 150 to 200 stores affected, while Cooperative U and E. Leclerc also suffered losses. Paris prosecutors reported that the attack prompted outbreaks of fire in some locations. In the Netherlands and Belgium, chains including Albert Heijn, Etos, Gall & Gall, and Delhaize experienced website shutdowns, delivery disruptions, and compromised electronic shelf labels that affected in-store pricing.
Financial losses are estimated to reach several million euros across the region, with some individual stores facing losses of hundreds of thousands of euros. In response to the breach, Albert Heijn implemented a preventive temporary shutdown of several systems to protect its IT environment. Dominique Schelcher, CEO of Cooperative U, characterized the targeting of food supply equipment as an unacceptable and unprecedented act.
