European retail networks are facing a growing digital threat after a new series of mysterious system failures disrupted grocery store refrigeration units in Belgium, Sweden, and Luxembourg this week.

Industry reports indicate that multiple store locations experienced unexpected and dramatic temperature spikes in their commercial freezers and coolers. Cybersecurity experts and retail operators are now investigating whether these incidents are linked to a sophisticated campaign of remote interference, echoing a major wave of cyber disruptions that hit French supermarkets last month.

In Belgium, retail giant Ahold Delhaize confirmed that roughly 40 of its Delhaize-branded stores encountered severe IT glitches impacting cooling infrastructure. Similar operational disruptions were concurrently flagged at select Carrefour and Spar outlets throughout the country. Meanwhile, neighboring Luxembourg also saw dozens of Ahold Delhaize retail sites grapple with identical technical failures.

The security strain extended into Scandinavia, where Swedish media and wire services reported sudden heating anomalies within stores operated by market leaders ICA and Coop. One ICA Kvantum branch publicly addressed the disruption on social media, revealing that its freezer units had been improperly reconfigured to a scorching 50 degrees Celsius—prompting strong suspicions of malicious external tampering. At least two other ICA locations and multiple Coop outlets in central Sweden reported similar sudden temperature surges.

These latest breaches follow a high-profile incident in France last month, where malicious actors reportedly hijacked the centralized cooling controls of approximately 700 supermarkets. That coordinated attack spiked refrigeration units to 50 degrees Celsius overnight, resulting in widespread food waste and potential fire safety hazards.

As affected European retailers collaborate with local authorities and cybersecurity investigators to trace the digital intrusions, the incidents underscore rising vulnerabilities within critical retail infrastructure and connected supply chains.

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]