Ahold Delhaize, a European supermarket chain, has been hit by a cyberattack that affected the refrigeration systems in some of its stores. The attack caused freezers and refrigerators to heat up at dozens of locations across Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia, and Finland.
Nearly 40 Delhaize locations in Belgium and Luxembourg experienced disruptions due to a technical issue, as confirmed by company statements. Ahold Delhaize’s spokesperson noted, ‘We’ve identified an IT problem that disrupted cooling equipment in multiple Delhaize outlets. Staff are actively reviewing the scope of the problem.’
Cyberattack Details
This latest disruption echoes a previous cyberattack that made hundreds of French supermarket freezers climb to roughly 120 degrees, ruining stock valued in the millions. It also comes after Ahold Delhaize’s online platforms were taken offline for days across the U.S. and Europe earlier this month.
In addition to the Delhaize stores, the latest attacks hit supermarkets operated by ICA, Colruyt Group, which operates SPAR stores in Belgium, Musgrave, which said 13 Supervalu stores in Ireland were hit, and Coop, which said six of its locations in Sweden were affected.
Investigators say the hackers remotely activated the freezers’ defrost functions. No group has taken credit for the attacks, and sources say the origin remains untraceable.
Impact and Response
Belgium’s cybersecurity agency warns that digital threats are increasing and businesses must strengthen their protections. The Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium reported 588 cyber incidents from January 1 to September 28—more than the 556 logged for all of last year.
Patrick Lamplmair, co-founder and CTO of Austrian tech firm Tributech, advises facility managers to verify how vendors authenticate system commands. He stressed, ‘Every instruction must confirm its source and integrity, and temperature settings should be validated against safety thresholds before execution.’
The Pentagon announced last week it is probing similar freezer failures at U.S. military bases in August. Officials have contacted French authorities to explore whether the incidents are linked.
Companies need to take steps to protect themselves from these types of attacks. The fact that the hackers were able to remotely switch the freezers’ evaporators to “defrost” mode highlights the vulnerability of these systems.