Hackers Turn Up Heat in Refrigerators at Hundreds of French Supermarkets, Sparking Fires and Massive Food Losses

Major French supermarket chains were struck by a coordinated cyberattack on Monday that remotely raised temperatures in refrigeration systems across hundreds of stores, triggering fires and forcing the disposal of fresh and frozen products. The retailers affected include E. Leclerc, Intermarché, Cooperative U, and Carrefour, with at least 300 Intermarché or Netto-branded shops, more than 100 Cooperative U outlets, and 80 Carrefour supermarkets confirmed as targets. Cooperative U's chief executive called the assault "unprecedented," while Paris prosecutors opened an investigation into what they described as a "large-scale cyberattack." The incident has raised alarms about the vulnerability of connected industrial equipment and the potential for cyberattacks to disrupt food supply chains across Europe. The cyberattack struck multiple major French supermarket operators simultaneously. Intermarché confirmed that at least 300 of its shops or those operating under its Netto brand were targeted. Cooperative U reported that more than 100 of its outlets were affected, and the company's chief executive, Dominique Schelcher, described the attack as "unprecedented" in a statement posted on X. E. Leclerc confirmed that "a cyberattack affected one of its refrigeration equipment suppliers," resulting in "repercussions on the operation of refrigeration systems in several stores." Carrefour, France's largest supermarket operator, said 80 of its roughly 6,000 stores were attacked, meaning the vast majority of its network remained unaffected. Dutch supermarket operator Ahold Delhaize, which also has operations in the United States, separately reported dealing with a "security issue" in its network, and a phone app for the retailer notified customers that it was unable to deliver groceries due to a "cybersecurity incident." According to French broadcaster BFM TV, hackers "managed to remotely trigger the forced defrosting of the refrigeration systems in numerous stores." A source close to the matter told AFP that refrigeration control systems from Danish manufacturer Danfoss were specifically targeted. Danfoss confirmed in a statement to AFP that most of the affected equipment was "legacy" products that "no longer receive software or security updates." The company identified its AK-SM800 and AK-SC355 fridge regulator systems as notably affected, with a version of the AK-SM800 using "outdated firmware." Danfoss stated it had long advised supermarkets to update from those older models but did not provide figures on how many systems were compromised. The remote manipulation of temperatures caused stock of fresh and frozen products to spoil, and in several locations the overheating equipment sparked fires, according to the Paris prosecutor's office. The immediate consequence for affected stores was the forced disposal of perishable inventory. Intermarché told AFP that branches impacted by the attack would have to "throw away all of the products" that are fresh and frozen. Photographs from the scene showed closed frozen food aisles at a supermarket near Nantes following the incident. BFM TV reported that temperatures were "altered remotely, resulting in the destruction of stocks of fresh and frozen products." Intermarché condemned the food waste and financial losses resulting from the attack, though the company did not provide specific figures. The scale of losses across multiple chains and hundreds of locations is expected to be substantial, particularly given that the attack struck during active business operations. Paris prosecutors confirmed the attack and opened a formal investigation into "the large-scale cyberattack affecting the refrigerators of several major food retail chains across France." The probe aims to "identify the victims and establish the link with the damage they reported in terms of foodstuff losses and the outbreak of fires," the prosecutor's office said. France's cybersecurity agency identified "a vulnerability in software supplied by a Danish company and has contacted the vendor," according to a person close to Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu. The agency is also "liaising with its European counterparts, as other countries may be affected," and is working "to identify other French companies involved in order to alert them" and "prevent the spread." EU food and agriculture commissioner Christophe Hansen condemned the attack on X, stating that "food security requires more attention at all levels" and that such "exploitation of food" was now a "reality." The incident comes amid rising concern in Europe over the potential for cyberattacks to cause disruption across critical sectors. French President Emmanuel Macron, a strong supporter of Ukraine, last month ordered measures to protect France's critical infrastructure from Russian "hybrid attacks." Antoine Hautin of cybersecurity consultancy Almond told AFP that industrial equipment such as refrigeration units, long isolated from the internet, is now connected via sensors or remote monitoring systems, creating new attack surfaces. By likely affecting hundreds of units simultaneously, the attack demonstrated "a certain level of sophistication," he added. Cooperative U CEO Schelcher underscored the gravity of targeting food preservation infrastructure, writing that "targeting equipment essential to the preservation of fresh products and to the food supply of the French people is of extreme gravity and is unprecedented."