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Austria Now News – Austria
Following the cyberattacks targeting refrigeration systems in a number of European stores, Austria’s major supermarket chains have confirmed that they are stepping up their protection against hacking, while REWE and Lidl said they had recorded no similar incidents.
What do the Austrian chains say?
According to the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation ORF, Spar has a dedicated cybersecurity department that also handles the security of refrigeration systems. Company spokeswoman Nicole Berkmann said that everything at the Salzburg-based family business is now digital, from refrigeration to the ordering system and warehouse logistics.
Speaking on the Ö1-Morgenjournal programme, Berkmann added that cyberattacks exist all over the world, and therefore in Austria too, stressing that the company does everything necessary to protect its systems. For security reasons, however, she did not disclose whether Spar had been attacked before.
The REWE Group, which includes ADEG, Billa, BillaPlus and Penny, said it was constantly monitoring the situation and that its companies in Austria had not recorded similar incidents, without giving details of its protective measures. Lidl confirmed it was not affected, while Hofer said it has an IT security team and has taken appropriate technical and organisational measures.
Investigations in Germany
In Germany, several cases are under investigation. According to initial information, criminals are suspected of hacking into freezers in stores in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony and raising their temperatures.
Similar attacks on stores in Belgium had led to food being destroyed, highlighting the risks of connecting refrigeration systems to the internet.
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Sources
- ORF – «Heimische Supermärkte rüsten sich gegen Cyberangriffe» – 03.11.2026 – https://orf.at/stories/3446950/
