Delhaize says Belgian supermarkets back to normal after cyberattack

Delhaize supermarkets in Belgium are operating normally again after a cyberattack disrupted refrigeration units, the chain says. Supplies are arriving as planned, and all its stores are fully operational, a spokesperson told Belga.

The attack on Monday affected dozens of Belgian supermarkets, including outlets run by Delhaize, Carrefour and Spar. Attackers remotely switched refrigeration systems into defrost mode, causing fridges and freezers to warm, Nieuws.nl reports, citing ANP and Belga.

Cooling installer Sabcobel said the method was the same as in a large cyberattack on hundreds of shops in France in early October. Supermarkets in the Netherlands were not affected, although butchers and smaller neighbourhood shops there were reportedly hit, according to NOS.

The incident follows a separate reported attack on refrigeration units at an IKEA store in Mons, Belgium, where the impact on the restaurant and chilled food was limited. Earlier coverage of the IKEA incident reported that the store was checking the affected systems.