A cyberattack that occurred overnight on Sunday disrupted refrigeration systems across hundreds of French supermarkets. This incident led to the spoilage of fresh food products in stores belonging to several of the country's largest grocery chains. Reports indicate that between 250 and 350 stores were affected.
The attack specifically targeted refrigeration controllers running older versions of Danfoss control software. Attackers remotely activated the units' defrost function, configuring it into a continuous cycle with temperatures reportedly set as high as 50 degrees Celsius. This forced defrosting cycle, which normally runs for only two hours daily, caused temperatures to rise significantly.
Affected retailers include Intermarché, Netto, Coopérative U, Leclerc, Carrefour Market, and Monoprix. Coopérative U chief executive Dominique Schelcher confirmed the attack, stating that it affected cold production facilities in several stores within their network. An Intermarché spokesperson also confirmed that some fresh and frozen food display units were out of service due to the incident.
The cyberattack resulted in significant financial losses and considerable food waste for the affected supermarkets. Beyond refrigeration, some reports also indicated disruptions to deliveries and in-store pricing systems powered by electronic shelf labels, though the primary impact was on cold storage.
Dominique Schelcher of Coopérative U described the targeting of essential equipment for food preservation as "of extreme gravity and unprecedented," calling it "unacceptable." Teams from the affected retailers are working with refrigeration specialists to restore operations.
France’s national cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, has stated it is "mobilised to handle this incident" at a national level to support potential victims. Retailers have taken precautions to remove affected products from display units. Investigations into the incident are underway to determine the full scope and nature of the attack.
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