Fridges, freezers of 17 Dutch businesses attacked; Large supermarkets unaffected

The refrigeration and freezing systems of at least 17 businesses in the Netherlands were hit in a cyberattack last night, resulting in their temperature settings being altered, a spokesperson for the supplier, Danfoss, told NOS. As far as is known, the major Dutch supermarkets are unaffected.

The affected systems in the Netherlands are primarily used by establishments like butcher shops and small local grocery stores, the Danfoss spokesperson said. They wouldn’t name the businesses involved. It is the same type of attack that occurred in France a few weeks ago, where Danfoss systems in several supermarkets were switched to defrost mode.

After that attack, Danfoss advised its Dutch clients on October 13 to disconnect their systems from the internet and ensure they only reconnect via a secure network. “Most stores took action at that time, but a small number did not,” the spokesperson said. “They are now the ones suffering the consequences.” The spokesperson added that the systems hit last night were not on a secure network and were still using default passwords. The attack could have been prevented if measures had been taken, he said.

Overnight, hackers targeted dozens of refrigeration systems in Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Ireland, and Estonia, according to the latest reports. The hackers targeted refrigeration and freezing systems from Danfoss and Copeland.

In Belgium, the hackers managed to mess with the systems of supermarkets like Carrefour and Dehlaize, a sister to the Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn.

Last month, hackers also attempted to breach Albert Heijn’s systems, prompting parent company Ahold Delhaize to shut down its digital infrastructure. For over a week, the Dutch supermarket could not deliver online orders, struggled to restock stores, and displayed the wrong prices in-store, among other things.

There is no evidence yet linking the attack on Albert Heijn to the attacks on the cooling systems. Albert Heijn was also not affected by the overnight attack.