Dozens of supermarkets in Belgium, Luxembourg and Sweden found their refrigeration and freezer temperatures raised overnight in a suspected cyberattack, the BBC and The Guardian reported on Monday. Delhaize told Belgian media a computer incident had affected about 40 of its stores in Belgium and Luxembourg, Carrefour said 15 of its Belgian stores were affected but stayed open, and in Sweden several ICA stores and a small number of Coop stores were hit, with one ICA store in Sjobo reporting its freezers had been set to 50 degrees Celsius. Millions of euros of food had to be thrown away according to local media, including about 100,000 euros of produce at one Delhaize branch in Hoeilaart, and the Belgian and Swedish national cybersecurity agencies said they were monitoring the incident. No one has been identified as responsible, and the attack follows an October incident in France in which hackers took control of cooling units at up to 700 supermarkets, pushing temperatures from as low as minus 27 degrees to well over 50 degrees and causing millions of euros of food losses.
Supermarket freezers hit by second suspected cyberattack in Europe
Refrigerators and freezers in dozens of supermarkets across Belgium, Luxembourg and Sweden were tampered with overnight in a suspected cyberattack, with around 40 Delhaize stores affected, one Swedish freezer set to 50 degrees Celsius and millions of euros of food thrown away, the BBC and The Guardian reported.
Why it matters: It is the second such attack in a month, after hackers seized cooling units at up to 700 French supermarkets in October, and it shows internet-connected refrigeration controls are now a repeat target capable of destroying food stocks across several countries in a single night.
Data as of BBC News and The Guardian reports of November 2, 2026, each read in full in this run. Store counts differ between the two reports in places: the BBC put Coop at seven of its 800 Swedish stores, while The Guardian, citing Aftonbladet, put Coop at six; the BBC also reported 13 SuperValu shops in Ireland and 15 Carrefour stores in Belgium, which The Guardian did not mention. Neither report attributes the attack to any actor, and the chains describe it as a computer or IT incident under investigation. Developing item.
Sources
- Supermarket freezers in Belgium and Sweden hit by suspected cyber-attack - BBC News - 2026-11-02
- Supermarket freezers across Europe hit by second suspected cyber-attack - The Guardian - 2026-11-02