Faroese food businesses say systems are secure after cyberattacks

Faroese grocery retailers and wholesalers say they are well protected against cyberattacks targeting refrigeration systems, KVF reports. Recent attacks abroad have prompted the businesses to review their systems again.

In several European countries, hackers have raised temperatures in freezers and refrigerated displays, forcing businesses to discard food worth millions. The most severe reported attack hit Swedish grocery chain ICA, where six stores were affected. Several tonnes of food had to be thrown away after hackers broke into the cooling system and raised its temperature to 50 degrees.

Denmark’s Agency for Societal Security has reported several attacks in the country, without naming the affected businesses. The latest reported victim was a food producer. Similar attacks have also taken place in Belgium, France and Luxembourg. The attacks appear intended to cause damage, with no messages or payment demands sent to the companies.

KVF spoke with Niels Mortensen, chief executive of the SMS group, which includes Miklagarður, Bónus and Mylnan; Tony Rasmussen, chief executive of wholesaler Poul Hansen, which also includes the Á stores and Samkeyp; and Gunnar Mohr, chief executive of PM wholesale.