PARIS A massive cyberattack described by industry figures as “unprecedented” has struck major supermarket chains across France this week, with hackers remotely manipulating refrigeration systems to push freezer and cold-storage temperatures up to 50°C (122°F) overnight. The attack has forced the destruction of vast quantities of fresh and frozen food, with some locations reportedly experiencing fires.
The Paris prosecutor’s office has confirmed it has opened an investigation into what it called a “large-scale cyberattack targeting connected refrigerators at several major French food retailers.” Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has directed the national cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, to investigate and coordinate with European partners over risks that the attack could spread beyond France.
Freezers Turned into ‘Ovens’ Overnight
According to preliminary estimates, hundreds of stores have been affected. Les Mousquetaires, which operates the Intermarché and Netto brands, said the freezers in around 150 stores were heated to 50°C for approximately six hours overnight, forcing the company to discard all affected food. Dominique Schelcher, chief executive of Coopérative U, confirmed on social media that refrigeration systems in nearly 100 of its stores had been targeted since Sunday night, calling the incident “unprecedented and unacceptable.”
Carrefour confirmed that around 80 of its supermarkets were affected, while Monoprix said roughly 5% of its stores experienced malfunctions. E. Leclerc also told Agence France-Presse that a supplier of its refrigeration equipment had been attacked, disrupting cooling systems in multiple stores.
A Paris resident, Declercq, described to Reuters what he witnessed at an Intermarché in the city centre: staff wheeling cartloads of thawed frozen food into giant bins while melted ice cream ran from torn packaging into the street.
Vulnerability Traced to Danish Supplier
Multiple sources familiar with the matter said the entry point for the attack pointed to a remote refrigeration management system made by Danish manufacturer Danfoss. Danfoss acknowledged that a “limited number” of refrigeration management systems had been affected, noting that the compromised devices were running “outdated firmware” that the company had long advised customers to upgrade.
The French retail federation, Fédération du Commerce et de la Distribution, has called on Danfoss to provide “complete transparency” about the incident.
Losses Could Reach Tens of Millions of Euros
Thierry Cotillard, chief executive of Intermarché, told BFM TV that the attack had caused “tens of millions of euros” in losses across France in a single day. Two supermarkets in the Alsace region alone reported €270,000 in losses.
More alarmingly, the attack may have spread beyond France. Analysts at threat intelligence firm Sekoia noted signs of impact in Spain, Portugal, Poland, Germany, and Belgium. Dutch retail giant Ahold Delhaize said it was dealing with a “cybersecurity issue” and had taken several systems offline as a precaution, briefly disrupting the app and delivery services of its Albert Heijn chain.
EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen condemned the attack on social media, warning that “food security needs more attention at every level.” Analysts noted that industrial refrigeration equipment was once isolated from the internet but is now connected through sensors and remote monitoring systems a digital transformation that this attack has exposed as a critical vulnerability in the food supply chain.
