THE ICE CREAM NEVER STOOD A CHANCE! Dozens of supermarkets across six European countries have been hit by a suspected cyber-attack on their refrigerators and freezers, the BBC reported.
Around 40 Delhaize stores in Belgium and Luxembourg were hit, plus shops in Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands and Estonia. Freezer temperatures reportedly rose as high as 50C (122F). One ICA store in Sjöbo, Sweden, posted: “Our refrigerators and freezers have been hacked overnight and they have set the temperature to 50 degrees.”
How? Belgian fridge maker Sabcobel says the units’ evaporators were switched to defrost mode, believed to be the same trick used last month against hundreds of French supermarkets. CEO Stephan Moelans called it a cyber-attack and said the fix needs physical modifications, not just software updates.
The damage is piling up. Local media say millions of euros of food has been thrown out. One Delhaize branch in Hoeilaart says it lost €100,000 of produce. Carrefour says 15 Belgian stores were affected, Ireland’s SuperValu saw 13 stores hit, and Danfoss told Dutch radio at least 17 companies in the Netherlands were attacked overnight.
Who did it? Nobody knows yet. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre says it’s working with partners to “fully understand details,” and no UK incidents have been reported.
Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration by Bugle Blast.
Sources: BBC News
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