Fridges in French supermarkets hit by cyber attack
Hundreds of French supermarkets were hit by an overnight cyber‑attack that forced refrigeration units to heat up to 50 °C (120 °F), spoiling fresh and frozen food worth millions of euros. The hack targeted software supplied by Danish engineering firm Danfoss, which allows retailers to control cold units remotely. More than 100 stores of the Coopérative U chain were affected, alongside at least 300 outlets of Intermarché and its Netto brand, while Carrefour reported breaches in 80 of its 6,000 locations and Monoprix said five percent of its 400‑plus stores were compromised. The attackers seized control of the temperature‑regulation software, overriding the normal brief defrost cycle and keeping the units hot throughout the night, leading managers to encounter scorching air and, in some cases, small fires when they arrived on Monday morning.
The incident has triggered a large‑scale food‑safety and financial fallout. Intermarché discarded all heated products after its fridges remained at 50 °C for six hours, and other chains removed any items whose condition could not be guaranteed, with staff working to restock shelves as quickly as possible. Danfoss explained that the compromised units were older models whose security patches could not be applied, leaving them vulnerable to the identified risk. Preliminary loss estimates include €270,000 reported by two supermarkets in Alsace, suggesting nationwide damages could run into the millions. French prosecutors have opened a dedicated cyber‑crime investigation, and the Paris prosecutor’s office described the event as a “large‑scale cyber‑attack affecting the refrigerators of several major food retail chains across France.”
Responses from officials underscore the broader implications for food security. European Food Commissioner Christophe Hansen condemned the hack on X, warning that the weaponisation of food is now a reality and calling for heightened attention at all levels. Coopérative U’s chief executive Dominique Schelcher urged a thorough investigation, labeling the targeting of essential food‑supply equipment as “unacceptable,” and confirmed that staff and refrigeration specialists were fully mobilised to restore normal operations. The attack highlights vulnerabilities in legacy industrial control systems and raises concerns about the resilience of critical food‑distribution infrastructure amid growing cyber threats.
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