Cyber incident halts operations at several Dutch supermarket distribution centers

Several Dutch supermarket distribution centers came to a standstill Monday due to an online security incident, according to broadcaster NOS.

The Albert Heijn supermarket chain said operations at several of its distribution centers came to a standstill after systems were shut down “preventively,” CEO Margaret Versteden-van Duijn said.

The chain does not know how long the disruption will last, but Versteden-van Duijn told NOS that shelves could empty “if it lasts any longer.”

“That will vary from store to store. That depends on a great many factors,” she noted.

The firm could not yet confirm whether malicious actors had infiltrated the company’s IT systems.

“The investigation is still ongoing. Unfortunately, I cannot say anything about that at the moment,” Versteden-van Duijn said.

The incident reportedly began Sunday afternoon. Albert Heijn said early Monday that it had shut down systems to protect the company’s IT environment.