Refrigeration Hack at Supermarket Chains in Three Countries: What It Means for Small Businesses

Update 2 November 2026, 10:20: according to NOS (updated 10:18) this is not only about Delhaize. Freezers and refrigerators at several supermarket chains in Belgium, Luxembourg and Sweden have been hacked. Delhaize speaks of dozens of affected stores, including in Luxembourg. Carrefour Belgium reports fifteen affected stores, and in Sweden two large chains report problems, including Ica. Delhaize immediately disconnected its cooling systems from the internet, stores remain operational and some are using refrigerated trucks. Whether this is linked to last month's cyberattack on Ahold Delhaize is being investigated. HLN reports temperatures rose to 70 degrees; Delhaize could not yet confirm that.

Short answer: freezers and refrigerators at several supermarket chains in Belgium, Luxembourg and Sweden have been hacked, report NU.nl and NOS. The cause is not yet known. As far as is known, so far this concerns supermarkets and a butcher, and there is no indication that site-building platforms such as Base44 or Wix are involved. The lesson for small and mid-sized businesses: digital security is no longer an IT hobby but a business requirement. A platform like Base44 offers a solid foundation for building secure applications without needing your own IT department.

Table of contents

1. What happened?
2. What is known about other parties?
3. Why small businesses should take note
4. What makes an application secure?
5. Base44: a platform for secure applications
6. What can you do today?
7. Frequently asked questions

What happened?

On the morning of Monday 2 November 2026, Belgian media reported that Delhaize freezers and refrigerators had been hacked. Delhaize confirmed that the refrigeration systems of dozens of stores in both Flanders and Wallonia are affected and described it as an IT incident. Later in the morning it emerged that stores in Luxembourg were hit too, and that other chains are experiencing the same.

According to RTL Info, store managers received a text message from Delhaize around 04:00 about the sudden temperature rise. Some stores deployed refrigerated trucks to save their stock. A Belgian butcher also reports temperatures suddenly shooting up because evaporators were set to defrost. HLN writes that temperatures rose to 70 degrees, which Delhaize cannot yet confirm, so we treat that as unconfirmed.

Delhaize says the cooling systems were immediately disconnected from the internet so stores could stay operational. For a supermarket this is more than an outage: chilled products quickly become unsellable. The incident shows that a cyberattack is not only about stolen data. Attackers can also hit physical processes such as refrigeration, because those installations are increasingly connected to a network.

We base the facts on public reporting. Details may change as the investigation continues. For the current status, always read the original sources and statements from the companies concerned.

What is known about other parties?

The picture is broader than first reported. According to NOS, besides Delhaize, Carrefour Belgium (fifteen stores) and two large chains in Sweden are affected: at Ica, freezers were reportedly set to 50 degrees, and some Coop stores are said to be hit. As far as is known, so far this concerns supermarkets and a butcher. That is a snapshot: the full scope of a cyber incident often only becomes clear later.

Three weeks ago, hundreds of French stores of chains including Intermarché, E.Leclerc, Netto and Coopérative U were also hit, with cooling systems set to 50 degrees. Whether the new hack is linked to last month's cyberattack on Ahold Delhaize, Delhaize cannot say yet: that is being investigated. The cause has therefore not been established.

What does hold: the reporting names no platform for building websites or apps. There is currently no indication that Base44, Wix or similar platforms have anything to do with this incident.

Why small businesses should take note

A supermarket chain has its own security teams. A business with ten or fifty employees usually does not. Yet small businesses also rely on more digital systems: a client portal, a booking system, a stock tool, a quoting app. Each of them is a potential entry point. The three weak spots we see most often:

1. Self-built or outdated software that nobody updates any more.
2. Loose tools without clear permissions, where too many people can access everything.
3. No ongoing management: who watches updates, backups and access once the builder is gone?

A practical lesson from this incident: Delhaize immediately disconnected the cooling systems from the internet. Knowing which systems are connected, and being able to disconnect them quickly, makes the difference between limiting and increasing damage.

What makes an application secure?

Security is not added afterwards, it is a combination of choices. Ask yourself:

Question	Why it matters
Who has access, with which permissions?	Less access means less damage from a mistake or a stolen password.
Who manages hosting and updates?	A platform that handles this keeps you from falling behind on security patches.
How does login work?	Managed authentication is safer than a home-made login system.
Where is your data?	You need to be able to explain where customer data lives, including for GDPR.
Is there a backup and a recovery plan?	Recovery determines how long an outage lasts.

Base44: a platform for secure applications for small businesses

Base44 is a platform for building business applications without setting up everything yourself. Hosting, user management and the technical foundation come from the platform. That is exactly what small businesses need: an application that goes live quickly, but is not held together with loose ends.

• Less infrastructure of your own to secure. You do not run a server.
• Built-in users and permissions. You decide who can see or change what.
• Overview. One environment for your app instead of a patchwork of separate tools.

According to Base44's official pages, the platform is SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified, operates in line with GDPR, and encrypts data at rest and in transit. Read the details in the Base44 security overview and on the security page.

To be fair: no platform guarantees protection against every risk. By default data is stored outside the EU, with EU storage available on higher plans. And permissions, login methods and visible fields are configured by you. That is why setup by someone with experience matters as much as the platform itself. Read more about our approach on Base44 website and app development.

What can you do today?

1. Turn on two-step verification for all business accounts.
2. Give staff access only to what they truly need.
3. List all systems and apps you use, and who manages them.
4. Know which systems are reachable via the internet and how to disconnect them quickly.
5. Check that a recent backup exists and that you know how to restore it.
6. Decide who you call in an incident, before it happens.
7. Replace tools that are no longer updated.

Frequently asked questions

What happened at Delhaize and other supermarkets?

According to NU.nl and NOS, freezers and refrigerators at several supermarket chains in Belgium, Luxembourg and Sweden were hacked. Delhaize cites dozens of affected stores, Carrefour Belgium fifteen.

Was the temperature really raised to 70 degrees?

HLN reports this. Delhaize could not yet confirm it. At Ica, freezers were reportedly set to 50 degrees, according to the company.

What caused the hack?

That is not yet known. Whether it is linked to last month's cyberattack on Ahold Delhaize is being investigated.

Is Base44 involved in this incident?

There is no indication that Base44 or any other website platform is involved. The reporting names no building platform.

Why Base44 for a small-business application?

The platform takes over much of the hosting and technology, so your app goes live faster and stays easier to manage. Proper setup remains important.

About the author and our experience

This article was written by Peter, Sales Director and owner of FLOR-IT. FLOR-IT is a Wix-certified partner (Wix Studio Expert Developer and Expert Web Designer) rated 4.8/5 from 124 reviews on the Wix Marketplace, with 25+ years of experience and more than 1,500 websites delivered for clients in 12 countries. Where something is not yet certain, we say so. See our portfolio and pricing.

Unsure about the security of what you use today, or have an application in mind? Book a no-obligation call with me or send a message via the contact page.

Sources: NOS, NU.nl, Base44 Docs, Base44 Security, Wix Marketplace.