European supermarkets targeted in a second wave of cyberattacks that cranked up fridge and freezer temperatures are rushing to upgrade their systems and protect themselves against further hacking attempts.
Stores in eight European countries were forced to throw away vast quantities of food after hackers tampered on Monday with their fridges, in an attack identical to one that swept dozens of supermarkets in France three weeks ago.
And supermarkets in the Balearics have expressed their concern over the crisis affecting freezer cabinets, which is impacting Europe. Carles Tarancón, general secretary of ASODIB, which represents the main supermarket chains in the Balearics, confirms the sector’s concern, as “there is no such thing as invulnerability”. However, he emphasises that supermarkets are taking measures to prevent such attacks
Related news
Tarancón explains that technicians from the various supermarket chains are working on preventative measures to shield their refrigeration systems from cyberattacks. These cyberattacks allow hackers to remotely manipulate refrigeration systems, activate the defrost mode on fridges and freezers, and raise their temperatures; in some cases, temperatures as high as 50 degrees Celsius have been recorded.
The method used is similar to that of a cyberattack recorded in France last October, which also affected numerous supermarkets. This causes very significant financial losses for food retailers, as they have to dispose of all food whose refrigeration status has been compromised; in some cases, refrigerated lorries have even been used.
However, the general secretary of ASODIB is sending a message of reassurance to the general public in the Balearics, as supermarkets are taking measures to prevent such attacks. He highlighted that when the power cut occurred on the mainland on 28 April 2025, the Balearics were not affected. Nevertheless, he warns that the risk remains, although he does assure that the safety and quality of the food sold to customers are fully guaranteed.