STOCKHOLM (AP) — Supermarkets in Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg and Estonia were hit Monday by problems with freezers and fridges that apparently were caused by cyberattacks, forcing some to dispose of ruined food.
The problems follow a case last month in which attackers remotely took control of refrigeration systems in hundreds of supermarkets and independent stores across France, sending temperatures soaring.
In Sweden, ICA Group supermarket chain spokesperson Gustaf Nilsson told news agency TT that “a limited number” of stores were affected overnight by an incident that affected refrigeration and freezing systems. He declined to give a specific number.
The ICA Kvantum branch in Sjöbo in southern Sweden wrote on its Facebook page that its fridges and freezers had been hacked and set to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). It said it was working to discard the affected items.
The Coop chain said that six of its stores in central Sweden had problems with their fridges and freezers, TT reported, though it didn't immediately have details.
The Delhaize chain said that an “IT incident” had affected refrigeration systems in several dozen of its stores, mostly in Belgium but also a few in neighboring Luxembourg.
“In the affected stores, the range of fresh and frozen products is temporarily somewhat limited. Our distribution centers are operating normally, and there has been no disruption to deliveries to our stores,” spokesperson Sarah De Meester said.
The Carrefour supermarket chain in Belgium said a “cyberattack targeting refrigeration installations only had an extremely limited impact,” affecting 15 of its more than 700 stores.
In Estonia, a company that makes the affected technology said that one of its clients had been hit by a cyberattack in which attackers accessed a computer controlling refrigeration and turned up the temperature to 50 degrees Celsius, public broadcaster ERR reported.
Jann Mutso, the CEO of Kitman Coldtech, declined to say which store's cooling system had been affected but said that the attack was responded to within minutes and there was no significant damage. The Selver chain said one of its outlets was affected.
The cyberattacks in France appeared to target old systems.
Destroyed refrigerated goods are being thrown away from powerless freezers at ICA Baronen store on Odengatan in Stockholm, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, as some of stores have suffered problems with their refrigerators and freezers overnight. (Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency via AP)
Freezers are seen out of power at ICA Baronen store on Odengatan in Stockholm, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, as some of stores have suffered problems with their refrigerators and freezers overnight. (Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency via AP)
U.S. futures are rebounding from a major market sell-off Friday with a boost from sharply declining oil prices on hopes for progress in diplomatic efforts between the U.S. and Iran.
Futures for the S&P 500 advanced 0.5% Monday, while those for the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.6%. Nasdaq futures rose 0.8%.
U.S. stocks fell Friday in their worst day since June as investors dumped artificial intelligence and tech stocks. There is growing concern that the massive investments in AI will not pay off, at least not fast enough.
Apple will report its latest earnings results after the bell Monday along with Palantir Technologies. Advanced Micro Devices will report its quarterly results on Tuesday.
Last week, earnings reports from Google parent Alphabet Inc. and Amazon rattled markets and raised fresh questions over whether their massive AI-related spending.
Oil prices dropped Monday, with Brent crude, the international standard, down 4.2% to $108.68 per barrel. Still, that’s much higher than the roughly $65 that a barrel of crude was selling for at this time last year.
Benchmark U.S. crude fell 4.2%, to $99.74 a barrel, compared with $61 per barrel at this time last February.
Iran’s top diplomat said in an interview shared on his Telegram channel over the weekend that Iranian negotiators were in Qatar for talks on a proposal that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days if the U.S. meets several conditions. However, he said no direct talks were being held with the U.S.
The final outcome of the diplomatic efforts to avoid a return to all-out war depends on answers provided by the United States to the “Iranian questions,” he said.
Wall Street is also waiting for the outcome of Tuesday’s U.S. midterm elections. Voters across the political spectrum have shown increasing concerns about AI and data centers, along with inflation and other key issues.
There is critical U.S. economic data arriving Friday when the government issues its October jobs report. In September, U.S. employers added a disappointing 29,000 jobs and the unemployment rate ticked up to a still-low 4.2%.
In Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.1% to 10,736.14 on Monday. Germany's DAX climbed 0.1% to 25,847.97, while the CAC 40 in Paris added 0.2% to 7,988.21. Asian markets were mostly higher.
The U.S. dollar rose to 157.91 Japanese yen from 157.49 yen. The euro was trading at $1.1211, up from $1.1160.
FILE - Trader Michael Capolino, left, and Specialist Thomas McArdle work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, file)
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei and New York Dow indexes at a securities firm, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
