Stories
Cyberattack on French supermarkets targets refrigerators
- •Hackers targeted over 700 supermarkets across France, including Intermarche, Carrefour, and Monoprix, in a massive cyberattack.
- •The attackers hijacked internet-connected refrigeration systems and triggered the defrost cycle, heating freezers up to 50 degrees Celsius.
- •Tonnes of ice cream, meat, and fresh food rotted, causing millions of euros in losses and sparking fires in some cooling units.
- •The attack exploited outdated control units from Danish company Danfoss that lacked recent security updates and had disabled alarms.
- •French authorities and ANSSI are investigating the incident, which European officials describe as an attempt to weaponize food.
Key Questions Answered
Hackers breached internet-connected refrigeration systems across more than 700 stores in France, including Intermarché, Carrefour, and Monoprix locations. They forcefully triggered the defrost cycle, heating freezers to 50 degrees Celsius for six hours, which spoiled tons of food and caused millions of euros in losses.
The attackers exploited security vulnerabilities in legacy cooling control units made by the Danish company Danfoss. These systems were connected to the internet for remote management but had not received security updates for a long time.
France's National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) is conducting an intensive investigation into the incident. Additionally, the Paris prosecutor's office has launched an inquiry, and the government is collaborating with European nations as security experts evaluate the broader threat to critical food supply chains.
