French Supermarket Hack Disrupts Refrigeration at 400 Stores
A cyberattack disrupted refrigeration systems at hundreds of French supermarkets, spoiling fresh and frozen food and prompting a criminal investigation…
Hundreds of French supermarkets faced spoiled food and disrupted refrigeration after a cyberattack took control of temperature systems. The france supermarket food spoilage hack affected major retail chains and prompted a criminal investigation, raising questions about the security of equipment used to keep food safe.
Hackers manipulated software controlling refrigerators and freezers, forcing some units to heat to 50C overnight, according to affected retailers. The attack struck stores operated by Coopérative U, Intermarché and its Netto brand, Carrefour, Monoprix and E.Leclerc.
The disruption reached beyond spoiled stock. Some stores reported fires, and retailers removed food from affected units where its condition could not be guaranteed.
Intermarché said its refrigeration units heated to 50C for six hours overnight into Monday and that it discarded affected food to avoid health risks, Reuters reported. The Mousquetaires Group, which owns Intermarché and Netto, said some display units remained out of service on Monday afternoon while staff worked to restock shelves.
Retailers’ figures indicate about 400 stores were affected out of roughly 15,000 in France, though the full scale remains unclear. Carrefour reported hacked refrigerators in 80 of its 6,000 stores. Monoprix said about 5% of its more than 400 stores had been hit.
Investigation focuses on refrigeration software
The attack targeted software supplied by Danish engineering firm Danfoss, which allows retailers to manage refrigeration units remotely. Supermarket freezers normally undergo a brief overnight defrost, when temperatures rise slightly. In this incident, attackers ordered units to heat and remain hot.
Danfoss said affected units were older models running outdated software. The company said it had “long advised” businesses to keep supported systems updated, and said it was committed to helping customers maintain secure and reliable systems.
France’s National Cybersecurity Agency was ordered to investigate by Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, according to a person in his office cited by Reuters. The source said France was coordinating with European counterparts because other countries could also be affected, while authorities assessed risks to other French companies.
French prosecutors have opened a cyber-crime investigation. The Paris prosecutor’s office described the incident as a “large-scale cyber-attack affecting the refrigerators of several major food retail chains across France”. No responsible person or group was identified in the supplied reports.
The direct consequence for shoppers is the removal of potentially unsafe food from sale, alongside temporary gaps as stores repair equipment and restock. Retailers said they were taking precautions rather than risk selling products whose condition could not be assured. The attack also exposed how remotely managed refrigeration systems can affect food supply operations across multiple chains at once.
Loss estimates vary. Two supermarkets in the Alsace region reported combined losses of €270,000, according to BFMTV. Intermarché chief executive Thierry Cotillard told the broadcaster that nationwide losses could amount to “tens of millions of euros” in a single day.
Coopérative U chief executive Dominique Schelcher said staff were “fully mobilised, in co-ordination with refrigeration specialists, to restore the situation as quickly as possible”. He called targeting equipment essential to the French food supply “unacceptable”.
European Food Commissioner Christophe Hansen condemned the attack, writing on X: “Food security requires more attention at all levels. Because the weaponisation of food has become a reality.”
Source: bbc.co.uk
