BRUSSELS — Grocery chains in at least three European countries reported sudden temperature spikes in refrigerators and freezers Monday that ruined food, raising new fears of cyberattacks on connected systems, according to CBS News.
Ahold Delhaize and Belgium’s Colruyt said an overnight IT incident sent temperatures soaring in dozens of stores in Belgium and Luxembourg, CBS News reported, citing Reuters. Swedish chains ICA and Coop reported similar spikes, and one explicitly blamed a cyberattack.
The incidents came less than three weeks after French chains E. Leclerc, Intermarché and Cooperative U said a cyberattack pushed fridge temperatures as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit in hundreds of stores.
Ahold had reported a cybersecurity incident to Dutch police in October after detecting suspicious activity, according to Reuters.
The attacks highlight how internet-connected cooling systems in stores can become targets, a risk for retailers everywhere.
Sources: CBS News. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Grasshalm / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.
