Hackers raised temperatures in fridges and freezers in Sicily and two other regions as similar attacks struck stores across Europe.Hackers targeted the refrigeration systems of supermarkets and food businesses in Italy on Monday, as part of a wave of cyberattacks that hit shops in at least eight European countries.The attacks affected businesses in Sicily, Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany. By tampering with the internet-connected software used to manage fridges and freezers remotely, the attackers raised temperatures so that the food inside spoiled. In Sicily, at least 10 supermarkets were affected in Palermo, Catania, Ragusa and Trapani. Giuseppe Spadaro, general manager of the Radenza Group, which runs Coop-branded stores on the island, said at least three Coop outlets in Catania and one in Palermo were hit. He said the attack, which began at around 04.00, triggered a defrosting cycle in freezers and forced staff to throw away large quantities of frozen food. "Hackers found some of our devices vulnerable," Spadaro told newspaper Corriere della Sera, adding that the company had identified and disabled the affected systems. Some stores in the Decò chain in Palermo and Trapani were also affected, though its president said only outlets run by third parties had reported problems. In Tuscany, a catering company reported an attack to the National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN), which then detected another against a frozen-food producer in Emilia-Romagna. Europe-wide attacks Supermarkets in Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia, Finland and Sweden were also targeted. Reports cited around 40 Delhaize stores in Belgium and Luxembourg, 15 Carrefour outlets in Belgium, seven Coop supermarkets in Sweden and 13 SuperValu stores in Ireland. Belgium’s federal prosecutor has opened an investigation.The incidents resemble attacks on hundreds of French supermarkets in mid-October. In that case, criminals exploited vulnerabilities in outdated versions of software made by Danish firm Danfoss. Italy’s main supermarket chains have said they do not use Danfoss software, though they may use similar technology with the same weaknesses.European Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen called the attacks “a deliberate attempt to disrupt our food supply chain and undermine consumer confidence”. He said food security in the EU was not currently at risk, but that food waste and the impact on businesses were “real”. Government response Italy’s postal police and the ACN are trying to establish where the attacks originated and whether the Italian and foreign incidents are linked. On Tuesday, Alfredo Mantovano, the undersecretary to the prime minister responsible for security, convened a meeting at Palazzo Chigi, followed by a technical session between the ACN and retail executives. Parliament’s intelligence oversight committee, Copasir, is due to hear from the head of domestic intelligence agency AISI, with the ACN director to be questioned on Wednesday.Suspicion has fallen on so-called hybrid attacks, a form of undeclared warfare usually attributed to Russia, though no responsibility has been established. The ACN had issued a bulletin on 13 October urging food distributors to check for exposed control devices, protect remote access and replace unsupported equipment, and has asked firms to review their systems and supplier links. Photo credit: Framarzo / Shutterstock.com

Hackers targeted the refrigeration systems of supermarkets and food businesses in Italy on Monday, as part of a wave of cyberattacks that hit shops in at least eight European countries. The attacks affected businesses in Sicily, Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany. By tampering with the internet-connected software used to manage fridges and freezers remotely, the attackers raised temperatures so that the food inside spoiled. In Sicily, at least 10 supermarkets were affected in Palermo, Catania, Ragusa and Trapani. Giuseppe Spadaro, general manager of the Radenza Group, which runs Coop-branded stores on the island, said at least three Coop outlets in Catania and one in Palermo were hit. He said the attack, which began at around 04.00, triggered a defrosting cycle in freezers and forced staff to throw away large quantities of frozen food. "Hackers found some of our devices vulnerable," Spadaro told newspaper Corriere della Sera, adding that the company had identified and disabled the affected systems. Some stores in the Decò chain in Palermo and Trapani were also affected, though its president said only outlets run by third parties had reported problems. In Tuscany, a catering company reported an attack to the National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN), which then detected another against a frozen-food producer in Emilia-Romagna. Supermarkets in Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia, Finland and Sweden were also targeted. Reports cited around 40 Delhaize stores in Belgium and Luxembourg, 15 Carrefour outlets in Belgium, seven Coop supermarkets in Sweden and 13 SuperValu stores in Ireland. Belgium’s federal prosecutor has opened an investigation.

The incidents resemble attacks on hundreds of French supermarkets in mid-October. In that case, criminals exploited vulnerabilities in outdated versions of software made by Danish firm Danfoss. Italy’s main supermarket chains have said they do not use Danfoss software, though they may use similar technology with the same weaknesses.

European Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen called the attacks “a deliberate attempt to disrupt our food supply chain and undermine consumer confidence”. He said food security in the EU was not currently at risk, but that food waste and the impact on businesses were “real”. Italy’s postal police and the ACN are trying to establish where the attacks originated and whether the Italian and foreign incidents are linked. On Tuesday, Alfredo Mantovano, the undersecretary to the prime minister responsible for security, convened a meeting at Palazzo Chigi, followed by a technical session between the ACN and retail executives. Parliament’s intelligence oversight committee, Copasir, is due to hear from the head of domestic intelligence agency AISI, with the ACN director to be questioned on Wednesday.

Suspicion has fallen on so-called hybrid attacks, a form of undeclared warfare usually attributed to Russia, though no responsibility has been established. The ACN had issued a bulletin on 13 October urging food distributors to check for exposed control devices, protect remote access and replace unsupported equipment, and has asked firms to review their systems and supplier links. Photo credit: Framarzo / Shutterstock.com