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EU warns freezer hack hits 11 European countries

EU warns freezer hack hits 11 European countries

@Steph1

Confirmed countries and known impact

CountryFirst confirmedStores/sitesSectorNoted temp
FranceOct 12 2026700+SupermarketsUp to 80C
BelgiumNov 2 2026DozensDelhaize, Carrefour, Spar, IKEA~50C
SwedenNov 2 20267 Coop + ICA storesSupermarkets55C
IrelandNov 2 202613SuperValu~50C
LuxembourgNov 2 2026SeveralAhold Delhaize~45C
EstoniaNov 2 20261Selver50C
FinlandNov 2 2026SeveralK-Group~50C
NetherlandsNov 2 2026ConfirmedMultiple chainsNot disclosed
PortugalNov 2 2026ConfirmedMultiple chainsNot disclosed
ItalyNov 2 2026~20Coop Sicily and othersNot disclosed
GermanyNov 4 20264Not disclosedNot disclosed
RomaniaNov 4 20266Not disclosedNot disclosed
United KingdomNov 3 2026SeveralMeat processorsNot disclosed
aljazeera.com

Countries now confirmed affected

13 (11 EU plus UK and France)

Danfoss controllers exposed online across Europe

~4,500

Danfoss AK-SM 800 end-of-life

2016

Danfoss AK-SC 355 end-of-life

2021

Coop Sicily stores hit

4 of 300

Coop Sicily estimated damage

Thousands of euros per store

aljazeera.com
"

These are not isolated incidents, and of course we have to be collectively resilient and prepared for such cyber incidents.

"

Thomas Regnier - EU Commission spokesperson - 4 Nov 2026

aljazeera.com
Refrigerator hack: how the wave spread12.10.2026 – 04.11.2026
12.10.2026France: 700+ supermarket stores hit; freezer temperatures raised to 80C, fires at some sites; Paris prosecutors open criminal inquiry
12.10.2026
02.11.2026Second wave: Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, Estonia, Finland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Italy all report freezer and refrigerator failures overnight
02.11.2026
02.11.2026Belgium: federal prosecutors open criminal investigation; Delhaize, Carrefour and Spar stores throw away tonnes of spoiled food
02.11.2026
03.11.2026UK: NCSC confirms meat processing firms affected; NCSC CEO Dr Richard Horne calls it a "whole food supply chain" issue; Italy's PM Meloni holds emergency security talks
03.11.2026
03.11.2026Sweden's Coop confirms 7 stores hit via "old 4G networks"; begins accelerated upgrade to 5G modems begun after October attacks
03.11.2026
04.11.2026Germany and Romania confirm affected stores, bringing total confirmed countries to 13; EU Commission warns attacks are "not isolated" and pledges collective response
04.11.2026
aljazeera.com

What happens next

50%

EU Commission agencies talking with national authorities on joint response (4 Nov 2026)

Belgium federal prosecutors criminal investigation open (2 Nov 2026)

France Paris prosecutors criminal investigation open (Oct 2026)

Italy government held emergency intelligence and cybersecurity talks (3 Nov 2026)

NCSC alerting vulnerable UK businesses with exposed Danfoss units (3 Nov 2026)

ENISA formal advisory on Danfoss controllers expected

Romania and Germany national cyber agencies to publish incident reports

Sweden and Ireland police investigations expected

Danfoss AK-SM 800 and AK-SC 355 have no patch path -- controller replacement required

Deloitte cybersecurity expert Frank Groenewegen advises: disconnect controllers from public internet immediately if status unknown

ncsc.gov.uk

Sources: Al Jazeera (AFP and Reuters, 03:16 UTC 4 Nov 2026 -- EU response, Germany and Romania); BBC (ckq6ndq8l6v0o, 13:07 UTC 3 Nov 2026 -- UK meat industry and NCSC); NCSC Annual Review 2026 (ncsc.gov.uk/collection/annual-review-2026, primary source); Reuters (3 Nov 2026 -- Italy, Romania); Guardian (theguardian.com, 3 Nov 2026). No group has claimed responsibility; Romania's top cybersecurity official Dan Cimpean says the attack appears "semi-amateurish" and he does not suspect a state actor.