Suspected Second Cyberattack Hits EU Supermarkets

EU supermarkets appear to be in the crosshairs again in a suspected second cyberattack that raised fridge and freezer temps overnight.

According to The Guardian, grocery chains across Belgium, Luxembourg, and Sweden saw temperatures in refrigerators and freezers rise overnight, with Dutch retailer Ahold Delhaize calling it an “IT incident.”

“We started mobilising technicians at 1am,” Stephan Moelans, the chief executive of refrigeration installer Sabcobel, told Belgium’s Le Soir newspaper. “We spent all night and morning disconnecting the affected installations from the grid.”

The attacks on supermarkets demonstrate the growing challenges that companies are facing as they try to protect themselves from cyber security threats. Although it’s far too early to say if AI was involved, the rise of AI has made it far easier for hackers to find and exploit vulnerabilities.

In the first attack, in October, millions of euros’ worth of food was lost in France. Only time will tell how large the losses are from this attack.