European Supermarket Giant Limits Operations Amidst Cyberattack
European Supermarket Giant Limits Operations Amidst Cyberattack 🚨
Albert Heijn is reporting major disruptions to its online services on Monday, following a cybersecurity incident confirmed by its parent company, Ahold Delhaize. The disruption, which began on Sunday afternoon, has left the retailer’s website, mobile app, and customer service systems unavailable. Online grocery deliveries have also been suspended, with no indication of when services will resume.
In a statement issued Monday, Ahold Delhaize confirmed a security issue within its network and said it had taken precautionary measures, including temporarily shutting down affected systems. “Our teams are taking steps to assess and mitigate the issue. This includes taking some systems offline to help protect them,” the parent company informed customers.
While the supermarket’s online operations have been disrupted, its physical supermarkets remain open, and checkout systems continue to function. However, the retailer cautioned that customers may encounter problems with personalized discounts, loyalty programs, and app-linked savings schemes, which are temporarily unavailable. Electronic shelf labels may also display outdated promotional prices from the previous week, potentially resulting in differences between prices shown on shelves and those charged at checkout.
The incident is also affecting Dutch retail chains Etos (a drugstore) and Gall & Gall (a liquor store), both of which, like Albert Heijn, are owned by the Dutch-Belgian retail group Ahold Delhaize. The Belgian supermarket chain Delhaize, part of the same company as Albert Heijn, is also experiencing difficulties.
The company has not disclosed the cause or the full extent of the incident, and it remains unclear whether customer or employee data has been compromised. In a statement seen by Dutch press, Albert Heijn said it is investigating the disruption and working to restore its services, adding that protecting the data of customers, employees, and partners remains a priority.
Muhammad Yahya Patel, a cybersecurity advisor for Huntress, said food retailers are particularly attractive targets because of their time-sensitive operations and immediate impact on customers. He added that the pressure to restore services quickly can work in the attackers’ favor, making precautionary shutdowns an important defense measure. “The short-term pain of a planned shutdown is almost always preferable to an uncontrolled one. An uncontrolled compromise can mean weeks of disruption and a far messier recovery,” Patel told Cybernews.