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Six stores in Romania, part of the same chain, were targeted in a possible cyberattack / DNSC clarifications

Raluca Ioana Draghici

2 November 2026, 19:53

Current Affairs

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Six stores in Romania belonging to the same retail chain were targeted in a possible cyberattack on the night of November 2, after the refrigeration equipment at the stores recorded unusual temperature increases, either simultaneously or within a short interval.

The incident was detected based on the readings reported by the equipment monitoring systems. The elevated temperatures raised suspicions of possible interference with the IT infrastructure that controls or monitors the refrigeration systems.

The situation was referred to cybersecurity specialists, who are expected to examine the nature and scope of the incident and how the stores were affected. Until the analyses are completed, there is no public information confirming that this was a cyberattack or indicating who was responsible.

Neither the name of the retail chain nor the locations of the six stores has been disclosed. The investigation aims to establish the cause of the temperature increases and check for any unauthorized access to the IT systems.

Context: cyberattacks on supermarket refrigeration systems had previously been reported in Europe

Long before the incident in Romania, similar attacks on refrigeration equipment had been reported. In France, a cyberattack compromised the refrigeration systems of several stores, with the perpetrators using older versions of software supplied by Danfoss for remote monitoring; in some cases, temperatures reached as high as 50 degrees Celsius, affecting stock within a few hours.

Problems were also reported in other European countries following cyber incidents that led to unusual increases in temperatures in refrigerators and freezers: in Belgium (including at Delhaize and at infrastructure managed by Sabcobel), Luxembourg, Sweden (cases at ICA and Coop), and Estonia, where temperatures were set to 50 degrees. Authorities announced investigations and warned that operational devices might require security updates.

Meanwhile, the Ahold Delhaize group temporarily shut down IT systems following a cyber incident identified in its network in the United States, and the precautionary measure also had effects in Europe, with problems reported in the Netherlands affecting websites and applications, as well as deliveries and customer services.