[Anchor]

Last month in France, supermarket refrigeration systems were hacked, causing refrigerator temperatures to soar close to 50°C (122°F). Now, the exact same incident has occurred in multiple other European countries. Speculation has even been raised that a specific nation could be behind the hacking.

Correspondent Kwon Yeongin reports from Paris.

[Reporter]

Display shelves that used to be filled with refrigerated goods are now completely empty.

In another supermarket, employees are throwing away refrigerated food items into trash bags.

Between the night of November 1 and the early hours of November 2, major supermarket and hypermarket chains across various parts of Europe, including Belgium, fell victim to cyberattacks.

The temperature settings of in-store refrigeration and freezing facilities were manipulated or forcibly switched to a defrost mode, causing internal temperatures to surge up to 50°C (122°F).

[Mathieu Tillman / Supermarket Manager: (It's a freezer, but) unfortunately, the temperature here has risen above 20°C (68°F). It's supposed to be minus 20°C (-4°F).]

In Belgium, damage was reported at dozens of stores belonging to a supermarket chain, and 15 Carrefour stores reportedly experienced the same issue.

Similar damage occurred in eight other European countries, including Italy, Sweden, and Finland.

The culprits behind the mid-last month cyberattack that hit over 700 supermarkets in France have not yet been caught, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The European Union condemned the incident as a deliberate attempt to disrupt the food supply chain, and affected countries such as Italy decided to hold emergency response meetings today, November 3.

[Paulo Cardoso / Security Expert: It's a problem that occurs because it's important but usually overlooked. This damages a company's image and generates hidden costs. It is also a preliminary warning to other sectors with weak security.]

Some experts have drawn attention to the increase in cyberattacks within Europe following the outbreak of the war between Ukraine and Russia, pointing out that given the lack of financial demands and the primary goal of causing chaos, it is highly likely to be a state-sponsored attack.

(Video reporter: Kim Sinae | Video editing: Lim Yeojin)