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Cyberattack
SuperValu says refrigeration cyberattack ‘fully resolved’ as stores restock chilled and frozen food
Musgrave said the incident affected a specific model of refrigeration equipment and its investigation is ongoing.
LAST UPDATE | 6 hrs ago
A CYBER INCIDENT that affected refrigeration systems at 13 SuperValu stores has been fully resolved, Musgrave has confirmed.
Chilled and frozen products were removed from sale at the affected branches this morning as a precaution.
In an updated statement, the group behind SuperValu said all stores were now operating as normal, with replenishment of chilled and frozen ranges “well under way”.
“We are working to ensure customers can get everything they need as quickly as possible,” a spokesperson said.
“We would like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding.”
Musgrave said earlier that the incident was limited to a specific model of refrigeration equipment. Its monitoring systems had detected the issue, prompting immediate action.
The company said customers could be confident that products remaining on sale had been stored at safe temperatures.
It also said it was working with equipment suppliers and cybersecurity specialists to investigate the incident and restore normal operations.
Musgrave did not identify the 13 SuperValu stores or give a timeframe for restoring their refrigeration systems.
In Dublin, the SuperValu stores in Blanchardstown and Lucan were among those affected.
At the Lucan branch, many chilled products were removed from shelves, but fridges are now operational again and being restocked, with essentials like milk and butter readily available.
In Waterford, a SuperValu store in the Kilbarry area was impacted. Staff in the store were told that the incident occurred overnight.
The incident comes amid refrigeration problems at supermarkets elsewhere in Europe.
In Sweden, operators ICA and Coop said temperatures in fridges and freezers rose sharply overnight at a limited number of stores.
One affected store blamed a cyberattack, saying its refrigeration units had been set to 50C.
Last month, cyberattacks disrupted refrigeration systems at hundreds of supermarkets in France, forcing shops to discard chilled and frozen food.
It’s not yet known whether the incident which affected SuperValu was connected to those elsewhere in Europe.
In Belgium, it has emerged that 15 stores were today hit by a cyberattack that caused some of their fridges to soar in temperature. The stores are part of the Carrefour supermarket chain.
“It’s a cyberattack, there is no other reason,” Carrefour Belgium spokesman Mich Vergauwen said, noting the “impact is very limited”. He said 15 stores among 700 in total were affected but not every refrigerator was impacted.
Supermarket chains Colruyt and Intermarché also said they were hit by technical problems affecting fridges in five and around 15 stores respectively, without confirming if a cyberattack was suspected.
With reporting by Lauren Boland, Eoghan Dalton and AFP
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