More grocery stores in Europe report fridge and freezer temperature spikes as apparent cyberattacks continue
Updated on: November 2, 2026 / 8:51 PM EST / CBS/AFP
TL;DR
- Grocery store chains in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Sweden reported unexpected temperature spikes in refrigerators and freezers on Monday.
- These incidents resulted in spoiled food and occurred less than a month after similar events affected French supermarket chains.
- A spokesperson for a Belgian refrigeration company suggested a cyberattack was responsible, with evaporators being switched into defrost mode.
- One Swedish store explicitly stated on Facebook that its fridges and freezers had been 'hacked' and the temperature set excessively high.
- European Union officials have highlighted the need for greater attention to food security and the exploitation of vulnerabilities in essential networked systems.
- Previous incidents in France were attributed to a cyberattack targeting refrigeration control systems from Danish manufacturer Danfoss.