UK meat suppliers' fridges heat up overnight as hackers who struck supermarket freezers across Europe reach Britain
Empty refrigerated counters inside an Auchan supermarket in Olsztyn, Poland, as Sweden's national cyber-security centre confirmed it was working multiple cases simultaneously following the overnight attacks.Seven European countries were struck overnight by hackers who remotely cranked supermarket freezer temperatures to 50C, following an almost identical attack on up to 700 French supermarkets last month that triggered fires and food losses running into tens of millions of euros.
Hackers who struck supermarket refrigeration systems across seven European countries on Monday have now hit British meat processing firms, with the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS) confirming several of its roughly 300 members were affected. NCSC director of operations Paul Chichester told reporters at the agency's annual report launch that the national impact was "minimal." Crucially, abattoirs were empty overnight when fridges heated up, so no meat was lost. NCSC chief Richard Horne warned years of underinvestment had left refrigeration technology dangerously exposed.
Cybersecurity experts say the UK attacks may represent only the 'foothills' of a wider threat, with characteristics resembling previous Russian-linked operations.
Belgium, Ireland's SuperValu, and Swedish retailers ICA and Co-op suffered worst — one ICA store saw freezers hit 50°C, and a Belgian butcher lost around €15,000 of meat.
Horne told BBC Radio 4 the attacks reinforced warnings that Britons should stockpile supplies, adding: 'We know it can happen — we've seen it across Europe.'
