Coop

Hackers Raise Temperatures to 50°C in European Supermarket Refrigeration Systems

Attackers gained unauthorized access to refrigeration controllers in supermarkets across Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Estonia, altering temperature settings to as high as +50 °C. In Estonia, the incident involved an outdated Danfoss controller managed by Kitman Coldtech, where the intrusion was detected and stopped within ten minutes, preventing any product loss. The attackers specifically targeted legacy unpatched controllers that had been connected to networks for remote maintenance and monitoring. Similar incidents were reported by Swedish chains ICA and Coop, following earlier attacks in October that caused spoilage in French supermarkets. Experts note that connecting older industrial control systems to the internet for convenience creates significant exposure when remote access is not properly secured.