04 / 10
Cyberattack hits more than 400 French supermarkets
Hackers used remote controls to warm supermarket refrigeration, spoiling fresh and frozen food across France.
What happened
An attack on remote refrigeration software disrupted supermarkets across France, causing fridges and freezers to heat overnight and spoil perishable stock. Intermarché, Coopérative U, Carrefour, Monoprix and E.Leclerc were among chains affected. Prosecutors confirmed food losses and fires at some locations.
Numbers
- Over 400retailers reporting affected stores — Counts varied by chain
- 50Ctemperature reached by some units — during the overnight attack
- Millions of eurosestimated value of spoiled food — estimate remains preliminary
Questions
- What did affected shops do next?
- Intermarché stated that affected shops discarded fresh and frozen products after units heated overnight, leaving some shelves without perishable stock.
- How was refrigeration controlled remotely?
- The targeted Danfoss software lets retailers manage cold units remotely, giving intruders a route to alter temperatures across stores.
- How widespread was the disruption?
- Retailers put the total above four hundred stores, while reported counts varied because some chains disconnected further sites preventively.
- How did retailers limit further damage?
- Intermarché and Netto disconnected further shops from the internet to prevent the attack reaching more refrigeration units at risk.
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The catch
Coverage has not identified the attackers or confirmed total losses, affected stores, or countries.
Authorities have opened an investigation.