Supermarkets in Belgium were forced to discard food valued at several hundred thousand euros after refrigeration temperatures reportedly climbed as high as 158 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius) overnight.
Spoiled stock is the fallout from what retailers suspect was a cyberattack on their refrigeration systems.
Here's what to know
Euronews reported disruption among supermarket chains in Ireland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Chains in Sweden and Estonia are affected by similar attacks as well.
In Belgium, roughly 40 supermarkets under the Delhaize Proxy banner, 15 Carrefour Shop & Go outlets, 15 Intermarché locations, and five Spar Q8 service stations were impacted, according to Belgian outlet Le Soir.
Details remained scarce, but Belgium's Centre for Cybersecurity confirmed it knew of an incident targeting supermarket cooling equipment.
"We are aware of an incident, but have no further information," spokesperson Katrien Eggers told Belgian news outlet Belga, per Euronews.
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Carrefour Belgium spokesperson Mich Vergauwen was more definitive about the cause.
"It's a cyberattack, there is no other reason," he said, adding that the "impact is very limited."
More background
French stores had already experienced a similar cyberattack. An identical method was used in both incidents, Sabcobel CEO Stephan Moelans told Belga, according to Euronews.
Sabcobel is the refrigeration installation company responsible for Delhaize's refrigeration and freezer systems.
The reports were not confined to supermarket chains: IKEA said its Bergen shop in Mons was affected, and butchery group De Laet en Van Haver reported problems with its fridges.
Artificial intelligence is a tool hackers now use, and it helps them rapidly proliferate their cyberattacks, Belgium's Centre for Cybersecurity said.
What's being done?
"We have identified an IT incident affecting the refrigeration systems in several dozen stores. We immediately took the necessary measures to keep our stores operational," a spokesperson told Euronews.
Carrefour reported that the disruption only reached 15 Belgian locations out of 700, spanning Flanders and Wallonia. No hypermarkets were impacted, and only a small number of cooling units were disrupted, mostly freezers.
While food donations can help reduce waste, products must be deemed safe for human consumption before they can be offered to shelters or customers.
"All stores remain open because it only concerns a few refrigeration units, mainly freezers. Quick action was taken so that all stores can stay open," the company told Euronews.
Where can I learn more?
The spoiled food in Belgium shows what's at stake when attackers target the infrastructure that supports communities.
• In France, hackers pushed supermarket fridges to 122 degrees, sparking fires and mass food waste.
• Save-On-Foods said a More Rewards data breach exposed customer information but withheld the number affected.
• In South Korea, Samsung smart fridges failed after an update, leaving Chuseok food to spoil.
• In the Netherlands, connected home devices could destabilize the grid following hacks or bad updates.
• Cold-storage company Americold settled two data-breach claims for $5.25 million, offering victims up to $25,000.
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