Supermarket refrigeration systems across Europe have been targeted in a series of cyber incidents, with attackers reportedly changing temperatures remotely and putting food stocks at risk.

In the latest disruption on Monday, refrigerators and freezers at multiple retailers were affected. At least one store reportedly recorded temperatures of up to 50°C (122°F), forcing several companies to discard food. The incidents have raised concerns about the security of connected equipment that supports supermarket operations and supply chains.

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Retailers Across Europe Report Disruptions

Ahold Delhaize said refrigeration systems at dozens of its Delhaize stores in Belgium and Luxembourg were affected. The company told CNBC that some food had to be discarded, but operations had returned to normal.

According to Reuters, Colruyt Group reported attacks on five Spar stores in Belgium. Carrefour said 15 Belgian stores were affected, while Intermarché reported disruptions at 15 of its 153 locations in the country.

Intermarché said its security measures helped contain the incident, limiting stock losses at a small number of stores. The company described the damage as less severe than during the October attacks and said other retailers, including Carrefour and Delhaize, appeared to have been more heavily affected.

The disruption also reached IKEA, where refrigeration equipment at its Mons store in Belgium was affected between Sunday and Monday. The store remained open as the company inspected its equipment and products and checked installations at other Belgian locations. IKEA said the impact on its restaurant and Swedish Food Market was limited.

Sweden’s ICA confirmed incidents at a limited number of stores, involving networks outside its central systems. Finland’s Kesko, Ireland’s SuperValu and Estonia’s Selver also reported refrigeration problems.

The European Commission said it was coordinating with national authorities and had convened an interinstitutional task force meeting involving EU agencies, including ENISA and Europol.

Latest Incidents Follow October’s Supermarket Attacks

The disruptions come after cyberattacks affected hundreds of French supermarkets in October, reportedly causing fires, overheated refrigerators and spoiled food. Les Mousquetaires, the owner of Intermarché, estimated at the time that the damage could amount to several million euros.

European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen warned in October that food security needed greater attention, saying the weaponisation of food had become a reality.

Similar concerns have emerged beyond the retail sector. In late August, freezer malfunctions affected commissaries at six U.S. military bases. The Pentagon is treating the incidents as a suspected cyberattack and coordinating with French authorities, according to people familiar with the matter cited by Reuters.

Connected Equipment Creates Wider Cyber Risks

No group has publicly claimed responsibility for the supermarket incidents, and investigations are ongoing. It remains unclear whether the attacks were financially motivated or intended to cause disruption and public anxiety.

Rafe Pilling, senior director of threat intelligence at Sophos, said empty supermarket shelves can turn a relatively limited cyber incident into a highly visible sign of instability. The public impact may be as important to attackers as direct financial damage, he added.

Fredrik Blix, a strategic cybersecurity adviser at Visente AB, said such attacks may not require sophisticated techniques if refrigeration control units are accessible through the public internet. Built-in support credentials and unpatched devices could provide entry points. Although the equipment vendor released a patch in August, thousands of units reportedly remained unupdated, while some older models could not be patched.

The risk extends well beyond supermarkets. Banks, government agencies, manufacturers and utilities also rely on remotely managed connected systems. As Pilling noted, attackers do not need advanced capabilities to cause real-world disruption when an exposed device controls critical equipment.

AI Could Increase The Scale Of Future Attacks

There is no evidence that artificial intelligence was used in the refrigeration incidents. However, Pilling warned that AI could eventually help criminals scale and coordinate similar operations more efficiently.

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has also warned that critical infrastructure should prepare for ransomware attacks involving AI-powered malware, which it expects could become more likely over the next two years. NCSC chief executive Richard Horne said organisations must treat security and resilience as essential requirements.

For retailers, the incidents highlight how cyber risks extend beyond customer data and payment systems. When digital controls manage physical assets, an unsecured device can threaten food safety, store operations and public confidence.