Hundreds of supermarkets across France have been crippled by a sophisticated cyber attack targeting refrigeration software, causing fridges and freezers to heat up and destroying millions of euros worth of fresh and frozen food.
Key details of the incident include:
- The Cyber Attack: Hackers compromised remote-management software provided by Danish engineering firm Danfoss, which supermarkets use to regulate cold units. Instead of normal overnight defrosting cycles, the hackers forced units to heat up—reaching temperatures as high as 50°C (120F) in some stores—triggering small fires and blasting managers with hot air upon arrival.
- Scale of the Damage: Approximately 400 stores out of about 15,000 nationwide were affected across major chains, including Coopérative U, Intermarché, Netto, Carrefour, Monoprix, and E.Leclerc.
- Vulnerability in Older Systems: Danfoss stated that the affected units were older models running security software that could no longer be updated to protect against vulnerabilities the company had previously identified.
- Massive Food Spoilage: Supermarkets were forced to throw away entire inventories of fresh and frozen food to prevent health risks. Two stores in the Alsace region alone reported losses totaling €270,000, bringing estimated nationwide damages into the millions.
- Official Response and Investigation: The Paris prosecutor’s office has opened a formal cyber-crime investigation. European Food Commissioner Christophe Hansen condemned the attack on X, noting that “the weaponisation of food has become a reality.” Affected retail groups have disconnected vulnerable systems from the internet and are working with refrigeration specialists to restore normal operations.
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