European supermarkets scramble to fix security flaws following widespread refrigerator hacking incident

European supermarket chains are taking urgent steps to strengthen their cybersecurity after a fresh wave of hacking attacks disrupted refrigeration systems and caused food losses across the region.

The attacks on Monday affected stores in eight European countries, forcing them to discard large quantities of food after hackers remotely increased the temperatures of refrigerators and freezers. A similar incident had targeted dozens of supermarkets in France three weeks earlier.

In Sweden, supermarket chain Coop has started moving its systems from 4G to 5G networks and installing updated modems. Seven affected outlets have resumed operations, but their refrigeration units remain disconnected from the internet as a precaution.

Danfoss, a software provider whose systems were targeted again, said it was working with customers to address security concerns. The company advised retailers to avoid exposing refrigeration systems directly to the internet.

Cybersecurity experts have also urged supermarkets to check their refrigeration controllers for security weaknesses, install the latest updates and disconnect vulnerable devices from public internet access.

The repeated attacks have raised concerns across the European retail sector, where supermarkets often operate independently and use different technology systems, making coordinated security measures more challenging.