Cyberattack Forces Supermarket Fridges Into Continuous Defrost Cycle Across Europe

Refrigeration Controls Forced Into Continuous Defrost

An ongoing cyberattack has reportedly struck major supermarket chains across Europe, disrupting refrigeration control systems in France and hitting websites and in-store pricing infrastructure in the Netherlands.

The French incident targeted Danfoss-made refrigeration controls used by Intermarché, Leclerc, and Coopérative U. According to reports, hackers activated the units' automatic defrosting systems and configured them into a continuous, forced defrosting cycle with the temperature set to 50 degrees Celsius. The function normally runs for just two hours a day. Sources reportedly described a wave of heat escaping from fridges and freezers.

Coopérative U president Dominique Schelcher confirmed the attack on Monday morning, stating that a cyberattack had been affecting the refrigeration production facilities of several stores in the network since the previous night. He said teams had been fully mobilized, alongside refrigeration engineers, to restore the situation as quickly as possible, and promised an investigation into the incident, which he described as extremely serious and unprecedented.

Losses Mount as Dutch Chains Report Disruption

Early reports indicated losses were already approaching 300,000 euros, but could run into several million euros nationwide.

Separately, NOS in the Netherlands reported that several supermarket chains suffered a malfunction due to a cybersecurity incident on Sunday afternoon. Albert Heijn, Etos, and Gall & Gall had their websites taken down, impacting deliveries. Electronic shelf labels were also compromised, disrupting in-store pricing.

In a statement, Albert Heijn said it had immediately taken measures to protect its IT environment, including the preventive temporary shutdown of a number of systems. Belgium's Delhaize chain, which belongs to Albert Heijn, also reported disruption. Images online showed stores in Amsterdam warning customers about price problems, and loyalty programs have been suspended as a result of the incident.

It remains unclear at this stage whether the two attacks are related or how widespread either of them is.

Sources: Tomshardware