Supermarkets in at least nine European countries had problems with their refrigeration systems after suspected cyberattacks. The incidents happened on 2 November in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden. Some stores could not keep food cold enough and had to throw food away. Earlier in October, hundreds of French supermarkets were affected in a similar way.

The main reason for these problems was that modern supermarket refrigerators are often connected to the internet. This helps engineers check and fix systems from far away. However, it also means hackers can attack the systems if security is weak.

After the suspected cyberattacks, Belgium’s federal prosecutor started an investigation. Other countries also looked for the cause. Stores are now thinking about improving security to protect their systems and food from similar attacks in the future.