Cyberattack hits hundreds of French supermarkets as hackers push fridge temperatures to 50°C, spoiling food
Hundreds of supermarkets across France were hit by a large-scale cyberattack overnight from Sunday, 11 October, into Monday, 12 October. Hackers disrupted refrigeration systems, causing fresh and frozen food to spoil and fires to break out at several stores. The attack targeted big retailers such as Intermarché, Coopérative U, Carrefour, E.Leclerc and Monoprix, according to Reuters and Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Hackers remotely triggered the forced defrosting of refrigeration systems, pushing temperatures in some units to as high as 50°C, according to reports by Reuters and Agence France-Presse (AFP) on 12 October. The incident exposed vulnerabilities in internet-connected systems used to preserve food in large retail outlets.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu instructed the country’s National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) to investigate the attack. Authorities are also coordinating with European counterparts regarding possible threats across the border.
Hundreds of stores affected across France
More than 300 stores from the supermarkets Intermarché and Netto were attacked, and over 100 stores belonging to the Coopérative U supermarket chain, according to figures reported by AFP. The French supermarket chain Carrefour confirmed 80 supermarkets were impacted, and Monoprix said that around 5% of its roughly 490 stores in France were affected. E. Leclerc also reported on incidents at multiple outlets.
Affected retailers had to dispose of fresh and frozen products to avoid potential food safety issues due to the disruption. Intermarché CEO Thierry Cotillard told French broadcaster BFM TV that losses could reach tens of millions of euros nationwide in a single day.
Dominique Schelcher, CEO, Coopérative U, posted on X, calling the attack on equipment vital to food preservation and national food production completely unacceptable.
Outdated Danfoss systems under scrutiny
The refrigeration management systems provided by Danish company Danfoss are being investigated. These are all connected systems to control temperatures throughout the supermarket fridge/freezer systems and let technicians monitor and manage the equipment remotely.
Danfoss said it was aware of incidents in France involving a limited number of refrigeration management systems. The company said the affected units were running outdated firmware and urged customers to upgrade supported systems and replace older equipment.
The attack follows cybersecurity research published by Claroty on 9 August, which detailed vulnerabilities in Danfoss systems that could allow attackers to bypass authentication controls.
Cybersecurity concerns extend beyond France
Spain, Portugal, Poland, Germany and Belgium also suffered, said Felix Aime, a senior cyberthreat intelligence analyst at Sekoia Threat Detection and Research.
France’s retail federation said they want Danfoss to be “transparent” during the investigation. Police are also probing whether other French companies are vulnerable.
Steven Lachance, a cybersecurity analyst, told Al Jazeera that the scope of the incident was unusual and that flaws in interconnected industrial systems could put other critical services at risk, including energy networks and hospitals. The incident has sparked renewed concerns about the security of internet-connected systems that control physical infrastructure.
