Brief
Hackers sabotage French supermarket fridges, causing fires and food loss
The attack hit Intermarché, Cooperative U, Carrefour and others, prompting a national cybersecurity investigation.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Hackers remotely raised temperatures in refrigeration units at hundreds of French supermarkets on Monday, causing fires and spoiling food, Al Jazeera reported.
What happened
Connected control panels that manage fridges and freezers were accessed over the internet, forcing a forced‑defrost sequence that pushed temperatures up to 50 °C (122 °F). At least 300 Intermarché or Netto stores, more than 100 Cooperative U outlets, about 80 Carrefour supermarkets and roughly 5 % of Monoprix’s 490 stores were affected. The Paris prosecutor’s office described the incident as a “large‑scale” attack on connected refrigeration systems.
What the reports add
Al Jazeera noted that the French prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, ordered the National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) to investigate, and that France is coordinating with European counterparts to assess risks to other companies. The outlet also cited a source close to the prime minister saying ANSSI identified a vulnerability in software supplied by Danish firm Danfoss. Danfoss confirmed it was aware of incidents affecting a limited number of its refrigeration management systems.
What was said
Intermarché CEO Thierry Cotillard told BFM TV the attack would cost “tens of millions of euros nationwide in a single day.” He called it “unprecedented.” Dominique Schelcher, chief executive of Cooperative U, wrote on X that targeting equipment essential to food preservation was “extremely serious and is unprecedented. It is unacceptable.”
How it came about
Supermarket refrigeration is typically controlled by internet‑connected panels that allow remote adjustments by maintenance firms. The vulnerability exploited allowed attackers to trigger forced defrosting, destroying fresh and frozen stock and, in some cases, igniting fires. The incident follows earlier reports of a cyber‑attack on French supermarkets that forced defrosting, which Felo covered on 12 October.
Key facts
- Hackers accessed internet‑connected refrigeration control panels at hundreds of French supermarkets. (aljazeera.com)
- At least 300 Intermarché/Netto stores, over 100 Cooperative U outlets, about 80 Carrefour stores and 5 % of Monoprix stores were hit. (aljazeera.com)
- Temperatures rose to as high as 50 °C, causing food spoilage and fires. (aljazeera.com)
- Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu ordered ANSSI to investigate the attack. (aljazeera.com)
- ANSSI identified a vulnerability in Danfoss refrigeration software. (aljazeera.com)
Sources
- [1] aljazeera.com — originally reported as “‘Unprecedented’ cyberattack hits French supermarkets, causing food losses”
