A second wave of cyberattacks is suspected to have hit supermarket refrigerators across Europe, causing food spoilage at dozens of stores in Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and Sweden, according to a TechCrunch report dated November 2, 2026. Ahold Delhaize and Colruyt confirmed the hacks, and a Belgian company operating Delhaize's systems said hackers changed settings to defrost, per Reuters.
Who's Involved
Ahold Delhaize
supermarket company that confirmed the hacks
Colruyt
supermarket company that confirmed the hacks
Delhaize
Belgian company operating Delhaize's systems
Danfoss
Danish refrigerator manufacturer named by researchers
Claroty
security company that warned of risks
↳ Why This Matters
The suspected attacks on supermarket refrigerators in Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and Sweden caused food losses at dozens of stores, forcing Ahold Delhaize and Colruyt to discard goods, according to the report.
Key facts
A second wave of cyberattacks is suspected to have hit supermarket refrigerators in Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and Sweden.
Ahold Delhaize and Colruyt confirmed the hacks, according to the report.
A Belgian company operating Delhaize's systems said hackers changed settings to defrost, per Reuters.
Earlier refrigerator hacks in France caused food spoilage at hundreds of supermarkets.
Security researchers said the cause was internet-connected Danfoss refrigerators no longer receiving security updates.
A second wave of cyberattacks is suspected to have hit supermarket refrigerators across Europe, causing fridges to increase temperatures and spoil food at dozens of stores in Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and Sweden, according to a TechCrunch report dated November 2, 2026.
Supermarket companies Ahold Delhaize and Colruyt confirmed the hacks, the report said. A Belgian company that operates Delhaize's systems said hackers had changed the settings to defrost, per Reuters. Stores have experienced heavy food losses from the cyberattacks, forcing supermarkets to throw out goods that had defrosted or were otherwise no longer consumable.
The cyberattacks follow earlier refrigerator hacks in France last month that caused food spoilage at hundreds of supermarkets by deliberately raising the temperature on the units. Security researchers said the cause of the hacks were internet-connected refrigerators made by Danish company Danfoss, which was no longer providing security updates. Security company Claroty warned in August that those refrigerator units were at risk of remote hacks and outages.
The report also noted that in 2025, a cyberattack on food distributor UNFI resulted in food shortages and empty shelves at grocery stores and supermarkets across the United States. U.S. Department of Defense officials are reportedly investigating whether freezer units on military bases were hacked by Iran-backed hackers, and Iranian hackers were also blamed for cyberattacks targeting U.S. water providers earlier this year.
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How It Developed
A first wave of refrigerator hacks in France caused food spoilage at hundreds of supermarkets, security researchers said.
Security company Claroty warned in August that internet-connected Danfoss refrigerator units were at risk of remote hacks and outages.
A second wave of cyberattacks was suspected to have hit supermarket refrigerators in Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and Sweden, spoiling food at dozens of stores.
Ahold Delhaize and Colruyt confirmed the hacks, and a Belgian company operating Delhaize's systems said hackers changed settings to defrost, per Reuters.
