Hackers have reportedly targeted Swedish supermarkets' refrigeration systems, causing stores to lose their food after temperatures reached as high as 55°C This article explores supermarket refrigerators remotely. . Several ICA locations and six Coop stores were affected overnight into November 2, forcing staff to clear damaged stock and restore cooling systems.
The incidents follow similar attacks against French supermarkets in October, but no connection has been confirmed.
According to Swedish broadcaster SVT, ICA Nära store manager Mats Olsson found water on the floor when he arrived at his shop in Böda, Öland. ZeroOwl previously reported on supermarket refrigerators being remotely manipulated, with attackers reportedly changing settings to keep equipment in defrost mode, which normally clears ice but can raise temperatures and destroy stock. France's CERT-FR cybersecurity team announced that Danfoss AK-SM, AK-SC, Copeland xweb, and Dixell xweb devices have been compromised.
A related ZeroOwl report revealed how widely refrigeration management pages can be accessed online, creating a direct route to equipment controlling physical conditions, rather than just business records or payment systems. CERT-FR recommends operators remove public internet access, verify controller settings, including defrost schedules, and secure remote access via a secure VPN or protected network.
Without removing exposure and addressing the underlying weakness, the equipment can be compromised again, putting replacement stock at risk once cooling resumes and stores begin restocking their shelves.
