Stories
Cyberattack Forces French Supermarkets to Discard Tons of Spoiled Food
- •Major French supermarket chains including Intermarche, Cooperative U, and E. Leclerc were targeted by a cyberattack that caused refrigeration systems to malfunction.
- •Hackers manipulated control panels to heat refrigerators up to 50 degrees Celsius, forcing stores to throw away large amounts of spoiled food to eliminate health risks.
- •France's National Cybersecurity Agency identified a vulnerability in software supplied by Danish company Danfoss used for remote temperature control.
- •Food and Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen strongly condemned the attack, highlighting growing concerns over food security.
- •Dutch retailer Ahold Delhaize also faced network security issues, though officials believe it is unrelated to the incidents in France.
Key Questions Answered
The cyberattack targeted close to 300 stores belonging to Intermarche and its Netto brand, more than 100 Cooperative U outlets, and several E. Leclerc stores. Affected branches were forced to discard all spoiled food products to eliminate health risks.
Attackers exploited a software vulnerability in the AK-SM 800A controller supplied by Danish company Danfoss, which allowed them to bypass authentication controls, execute code, and remotely heat up refrigerators to 50°C for six hours overnight.
Ahold Delhaize experienced security issues on its network and took several systems offline as a precaution, which temporarily impacted its smartphone app's ability to deliver groceries. However, there was no reason to believe these incidents were related to the attacks in France.
