Brief
Hackers Trigger Refrigerator Fires in French Supermarkets
The attack hit Intermarché, Netto, Cooperative U, E. Leclerc and Carrefour stores, prompting investigations and warnings about food‑security risks.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Hackers remotely triggered the defrosting of refrigeration systems in dozens of French supermarkets on Monday, causing temperature spikes, food spoilage and several fires, according to retailers and officials.
What happened
At least 300 Intermarché and Netto outlets, more than 100 Cooperative U stores and several E. Leclerc branches reported that their refrigeration units were forced to shut down, raising internal temperatures and forcing the disposal of fresh and frozen products. Carrefour said about 80 of its supermarkets were also affected, though the majority of its 6,000 stores remained operational. The Paris prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into what it described as a "large‑scale cyberattack affecting the refrigerators of several major food retail chains across France".
What the reports add
The TimesNowNews article notes that French broadcaster BFM TV reported the hackers had remotely triggered the forced defrosting, while a source close to the matter told AFP that the targeted control systems were made by Danish manufacturer Danfoss. Danfoss identified the AK‑SM800 and AK‑SC355 regulator models as the affected equipment, adding that one version of the AK‑SM800 used outdated firmware and had not received recent security updates.
What was said
EU food and agriculture commissioner Christophe Hansen wrote on X that "Food security requires more attention at all levels" and warned that the "exploitation of food" had become a "reality". Cooperative U chief executive Dominique Schelcher called the incident "unprecedented" and said it was of "extreme gravity". Intermarché told AFP that affected stores would have to "throw away all of the products" that were fresh and frozen. A source close to French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said France’s cybersecurity agency had identified a vulnerability in software supplied by the Danish company and had contacted the vendor.
How it came about
The attack follows earlier reports by Felo News on 12 October that described a cyber‑attack forcing defrost of supermarket refrigerators, citing similar numbers of stores and the involvement of Intermarché and Cooperative U. The current article expands on those details, adding the involvement of E. Leclerc, Carrefour and the specific Danfoss models targeted, as well as the official investigation launched by Paris prosecutors.
Key facts
- At least 300 Intermarché and Netto stores, over 100 Cooperative U outlets and several E. Leclerc branches were hit. (timesnownews.com)
- Carrefour reported that about 80 of its supermarkets were affected. (timesnownews.com)
- The Paris prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into the large‑scale cyberattack. (timesnownews.com)
- Danfoss identified its AK‑SM800 and AK‑SC355 refrigeration regulator systems as the targeted models. (timesnownews.com)
- EU food commissioner Christophe Hansen warned that "exploitation of food" is now a reality. (timesnownews.com)
Sources
- [1] timesnownews.com — originally reported as “Cyberattack Freezes France's Supermarkets as Hackers Trigger Fridge Fires”
