Russia suspected in cyberattacks on supermarket refrigeration systems across Europe
Cyberattacks disrupted supermarket refrigeration systems across at least nine European Union countries on November 2, with cybersecurity experts investigating possible links to Russian state-backed hackers, Politico reported on November 3.
The incidents followed similar attacks against French supermarkets on October 11–12, raising concerns about the vulnerability of Europe's food supply infrastructure.
Supermarkets in Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia, Finland and Romania reported problems with their refrigeration systems. In some cases, hackers reportedly changed temperature settings to as high as 50°C (122°F), forcing stores to discard food.
EU Agriculture and Food Commissioner Christophe Hansen described the incidents as a "deliberate attempt to disrupt our food supply chain." Senior European Commission security officials are examining the attacks.
Why experts suspect Russia
Xavier Bellekens, CEO of cybersecurity company Lupovis, told Politico that his researchers had identified technical indicators suggesting a possible Russian state-sponsored operation.
"We strongly believe this activity could be attributed to a Russian state-sponsored threat actor," he said.
According to Bellekens, the attackers demonstrated specialized knowledge of industrial control systems and refrigeration technology. Servers used to attack decoy systems operated by his company had also previously been used by Russian hacking groups.
However, other cybersecurity specialists cautioned that the evidence remains inconclusive.
"All options appear to be open regarding who could have done this, from state actors through to lone actors," said James Sullivan, director of cyber at the British think tank RUSI.
Belgium's cybersecurity agency said the perpetrators remain unknown and may never be identified. The country's Federal Public Prosecutor's Office has opened a criminal investigation.
Russia's Foreign Ministry did not respond to Politico's request for comment.
Concerns over hybrid warfare
The attacks come amid growing European concerns about Russian hybrid operations targeting civilian infrastructure.
Andrea Margellati, director of the Rome-based think tank Centro Studi Internazionali, said attacks on everyday services can serve as a warning that an adversary has the ability to disrupt critical systems far from the battlefield.
Researchers noted that there was no evidence of ransom demands or claims of responsibility by activist groups.
While some experts believe the attacks fit a pattern of state-backed cyber operations, their origin has not been conclusively established.