Cyberattacks on refrigerators have now affected nine European countries
Hackers have disabled refrigeration equipment in stores across at least nine European countries. In some cases, products heated above 50 degrees Celsius and spoiled.
Attackers gained access to cooling and freezing systems in stores of retail chains. They activated the defrost mode and sometimes heated the contents of refrigerated chambers to temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius.
The first incidents occurred on Monday morning in Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia. That same evening, it became known that supermarkets in Sicily were affected: the attack impacted three Coop stores in Catania and one in Palermo.
In Portugal, refrigerators defrosted in seven stores of the Intermarche Portugal chain. In Denmark, cooling and freezing systems of five companies came under attack, but the assault was repelled, and no serious disruptions were recorded there.
Hacking attempts were also observed in Latvia. However, there have been no reports of attacks on refrigeration equipment of major grocery chains in the country.
