The cooling systems of numerous supermarkets in Belgium have been the target of a cyberattack. According to information reported in the Belgian media, the temperature in some refrigerators rose rapidly due to the attack, and approximately 100 thousand euros worth of food products were thrown away.
It was reported that the affected stores include approximately 40 Delhaize supermarkets, 15 Carrefour stores, and 5 Spar branches. The butchery group De Laet en Van Haver also announced that their own refrigerators were affected by the incident.
A Delhaize spokesperson stated, "We have detected an IT incident affecting the cooling systems in dozens of stores. We have immediately taken the necessary measures to ensure our stores continue to operate."
It was stated that the attack took place between Sunday evening and Monday morning, with cybercriminals remotely changing the temperature settings of the refrigerators, causing the products to spoil. It was reported that the temperature in some refrigerators rose as high as 70 degrees.
Similar issues were reported to have occurred on the same night at some stores of the Swedish supermarket chain ICA. The incident follows an attack on October 12 that targeted the cooling systems of hundreds of stores belonging to the Intermarché and Coopérative U chains in France.
Stephan Moelans, CEO of Sabcobel, which installs cooling systems, said the attack in Belgium involved "the exact same mechanism" as the incident in France. Moelans stated that they have been working intensively in recent weeks to protect their clients' refrigerators against the security vulnerability in question.
According to Moelans, a software update alone is not enough to close the vulnerability; some systems require physical changes and management via a secure internet connection. Sabcobel reported that approximately 20 of the hundreds of units it manages across Belgium were affected by the attack.
News Source: 12punto
