Could Malaga supermarkets fall victim to mass cyberattack like shops in Europe did?

The cyberattack supermarkets across Europe suffered in October, which has caused millions of euros in damages to shops in France, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden, has put numerous food chains operating in Spain, and more specifically in the province of Malaga, on alert.

The attacks occurred in two separate incidents and targeted the refrigeration systems of various establishments. After gaining access to the equipment, the criminals managed to raise the temperature of the freezers to 50C, causing the products to spoil and forcing companies to discard millions of tonnes of spoiled food.

Beyond raising understandable concerns about food safety, the question on everyone's mind now is whether an attack of this nature could also happen in Spain.

The Andalusian confederation of food and perfumery businesses, the sector's main organisation in the region, believes that a similar situation would be difficult, but not impossible. Head of the organisation Álvaro González Zafra considers the Spanish system different from the European one.

While acknowledging that everyone is vulnerable to these types of attacks, he explained that there is much greater network penetration, with more diverse groups and systems, meaning that a massive attack wouldn't have the same impact as in other parts of Europe. "Here, there are more than 300 chains compared to the large chains that exist at the European level," he said.

Furthermore, refrigeration systems, "which are vital in any food retail outlet", are outsourced by chains and even individual shops. "They are outsourced, but not centralised, which is what seems to be happening in much of Europe," he said. In this way, consumption can be better controlled and breakdowns and attacks like the one that occurred internationally can be prevented.

Despite everything, Álvaro González Zafra acknowledged that this massive attack had generated some concern in the sector, which has begun to reinforce its security systems to prevent breaches and make cyberattacks as difficult as possible. Among other measures, they have focused on updating software and establishing strong passwords. "Zero risk doesn't exist, but at least the problem is minimized as much as possible."

The Andalusian confederation represents wholesale and retail companies in the organised food and consumer goods distribution sector, including convenience supermarkets, cash & carry establishments and specialised perfumeries in Andalucía. It currently comprises 23 business groups, among them Mercadona, Lidl and El Jamón.

The EU has taken the attacks in several countries very seriously. The EU Commissioner for Food and Agriculture Christophe Hansen has described them as "a deliberate attempt to disrupt our food supply chain and target consumer trust".

No organisation has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Belgium was one of the countries hardest hit in this second wave, with dozens of shops from various supermarket chains reporting refrigeration system failures. Among them were 15 Carrefour Belgium shops. In Ireland, 13 Supervalu shops were attacked; in Portugal, seven Intermarché shops.

This series of attacks has also put companies that specialise in ensuring the security of establishments on high alert. One such company, Check Point, pointed out that these incidents "are occurring amid a significant increase in cyberattacks against the consumer goods and services sector, which includes retailers".

In Europe, organisations in the sector face an average of approximately 2,200 attacks per week, representing a 43 per cent year-on-year increase. Globally, the average is around 2,350 weekly attacks, a 40 per cent increase. "These figures highlight the growing pressure on the sector and the need to protect all systems that support business operations," organisations said.

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