Supermarkets across several European countries have recently been hit by cyberattacks, primarily targeting cooling and freezing systems, similar to attacks seen in France. Those affected include numerous Delhaize supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg, as well as stores in Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia, and Finland. Reports of similar incidents have also emerged from Germany, specifically in North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria.
Sabcobel, a Belgian manufacturer of some of the compromised cooling systems, reported that the equipment’s evaporators were switched into defrost mode, causing a resulting temperature rise. This technique matches the method used during a cyberattack against French supermarkets just last month.
In response to these attacks on cooling and refrigeration infrastructure, Christian Müller, the CEO of Schwarz Digits (the IT and digital division of the Schwarz Group, which includes Lidl and Kaufland), urged vigilance against AI-powered assaults on digital infrastructure during an appearance on the television channel “Welt.” Müller stated that the Schwarz Group’s supermarkets were not affected by these cyberattacks.
“There is no such thing as 100 percent security in the cyber environment,” Müller explained. “I can only say that we, as the Schwarz Group, were not impacted. This means we took appropriate preventive measures. However, it must be said that in the age of AI, attacks are becoming more complex, faster, and more impactful. This is an issue everyone must address.”
According to Müller, cybersecurity is an ongoing “race,” comparing it to a cat-and-mouse game, stating that one must be better than the attacker. He noted that this challenge is significantly amplified in the AI era because responding to threats now requires not only human defenses but also specialized AI methods. Müller added that the Schwarz Group is well-equipped for this field through its partnership with Crowdstrike.
