www.it-connect.fr
After France, Hackers Overheat Supermarket Fridges in Belgium and Sweden
Freezers set to +50°C by early morning, and frozen food aisles emptied before opening. Sound familiar? Three weeks after France, the same attack against supermarket refrigeration systems hit Belgium, Sweden, and several other European countries. Here's what we know about these attacks.
In the night from Sunday, November 1 to Monday, November 2, 2026, the refrigerators and freezers in around forty Delhaize stores started heating up in Belgium, especially Proxy and Shop & Go locations. The chain confirms an "IT incident". According to RTL Info, cited by L'Avenir, the freezers rose to around 15°C.
Carrefour Belgium is reporting 15 stores out of 700, Intermarché about fifteen, and Spar (Colruyt Group) five. In total, at least 76 outlets appear to have been impacted in Belgium. The federal prosecutor's office has opened an investigation, and Belgium's Centre for Cybersecurity (CCB) remains cautious: "We are aware of an incident, but we do not have any additional information." spokesperson Katrien Eggers said.
This security incident is reminiscent of the massive cyberattack on October 12, 2026 against Danfoss refrigeration systems used by U and Intermarché stores. The French government later said around 700 supermarkets were affected. What just happened elsewhere in Europe, including in neighboring Belgium, strongly resembles it.
Defrost, Once Again
Defrosting is a normal function: the evaporator briefly heats up to melt ice. The problem starts when it runs too long, which is exactly what the attackers do by triggering it remotely and leaving it running. No malware is needed here; this is clearly a configuration change leading to sabotage.
Stephan Moelans, director of refrigeration installer Sabcobel, confirms to Belga the same method used in France. Sabcobel lists about twenty installations affected out of the hundreds it manages. "The simplest solution is to manage refrigerators through a secure internet connection. Most of our customers switched to that after the attack in France." he said in remarks reported by Euronews.
The wave does not stop in Belgium:
- Sweden: in Sjöbo, an ICA Kvantum store found its freezers set to +50°C, with goods losses worth hundreds of thousands of Swedish kronor (several tens of thousands of euros). At Coop, seven stores are affected, six in Gävle and one in Sundsvall.
- Netherlands: refrigeration systems at at least 17 companies are said to have been attacked.
- Ireland: 13 SuperValu stores are reportedly involved.
- Estonia: a Selver supermarket is said to have been hit.
- Finland: several stores in the K Group are also affected.
Danfoss Back in the Loop
Danfoss or not? That's the question... And it may well be, since Danfoss reportedly confirmed to the Danish daily Børsen that its products are affected. Danfoss would point to an unpatched vulnerability present in obsolete software: a way of shifting the blame back to its customers. If confirmed, it would be the same method used in France!
As a reminder, on October 12, CERT-FR published an alert about the compromise of Danfoss AK-SM and AK-SC controllers, as well as Copeland and Dixell XWEB supervisors. Its recommendations are still relevant, whether in France or elsewhere in Europe (see list below). It's a shame the information did not circulate more widely... This new wave could have been avoided.
- Cut Internet exposure: remove any public IP address from the units, after checking the insurance contract linked to reporting data back to the refrigeration contractor.
- Check the configuration: especially the defrost windows, which were the lever used here.
- Use a VPN: vendor access should go through a secure VPN or a protected network. Source IP filtering can help, but it is not a long-term solution.
- Harden the equipment: keep firmware up to date, enable Strict security mode on Danfoss, and change default passwords.
One thing is clear: these appliances escape inventories, patch management, and IT department monitoring. And supermarkets pay for it in pallets of frozen goods...
