Several supermarkets in Sweden reported unexplained increases in refrigerator and freezer temperatures overnight, with at least one store attributing the incident to a suspected cyberattack.
The incident comes weeks after French authorities reported a large-scale cyberattack targeting cooling systems in hundreds of supermarkets, resulting in spoiled food, fires and renewed concerns over vulnerabilities in connected infrastructure.
One Swedish supermarket said on social media that temperatures in its refrigeration and freezer units had been reset to 50°C, mirroring reports from the earlier incident in France.
ICA and Coop affected
A spokesperson for supermarket chain ICA said a limited number of stores had been impacted.
"We are aware that a limited number of stores were affected overnight by an incident that impacted refrigeration and freezer systems," the company said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Coop Sweden told newspaper Aftonbladet that six of its stores had experienced similar problems.
The retailer did not immediately provide further details on the cause of the disruptions.
Concerns over connected systems
The incidents have heightened concern over the security of digitally connected refrigeration and monitoring systems used throughout the retail sector.
Last month, French police said hackers had gained control of cooling units in hundreds of supermarkets, exposing weaknesses in interconnected operational technology systems and causing significant disruption.
It remains unclear whether the incidents in Sweden are linked to the attacks reported in France.
Authorities and affected retailers are continuing to investigate.
Source: Reuters / ANA-MPA
