Cyberattack in France Thaws Freezers at Hundreds of Supermarkets, Forcing Food to Be Thrown Out
French supermarket chains E. Leclerc, Intermarché and Cooperative U were hit by a cyberattack that disrupted refrigeration equipment in hundreds of stores. Spoiled food had to be discarded, and the Paris prosecutor's office has opened an investigation.
Several major French food retail chains have suffered a cyberattack that caused freezers and refrigerators in hundreds of stores to thaw. Shops had to throw away spoiled food, and concerns have arisen over food safety. E. Leclerc, Intermarché and Cooperative U confirmed the attack to the news agency AFP; the chief executive of Cooperative U described it as unprecedented.
How many stores were affected
The attack targeted at least 300 stores of Intermarché and its Netto brand, more than 100 Cooperative U outlets and several E. Leclerc stores. Media outlets report that the retail giants Carrefour Market and Monoprix were also affected, but the companies have not yet confirmed this. It is also reported that the attack caused several fires. The scale of the losses is not yet known.
Intermarché said affected stores must discard all products, both fresh and frozen. The TV channel BFM TV reported that temperature settings were changed remotely, destroying stocks of fresh and frozen goods.
Possible cause and investigation
E. Leclerc explained that the attack hit one of its refrigeration equipment suppliers, affecting the operation of cooling systems in several stores. According to one source, the target was the refrigeration control systems of the Danish manufacturer Danfoss.
A person close to French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the national cybersecurity agency has already identified a vulnerability in software supplied by the Danish company and has contacted the supplier. The agency is working with European counterparts, as other countries may be affected, and is trying to identify other French companies involved in order to warn them.
The Paris prosecutor's office confirmed that an investigation has been opened into a large-scale cyberattack that hit the freezers of several major food retail chains across France.
Reaction
European Union agriculture and food commissioner Christophe Hansen condemned the attack on X and called for greater attention to food safety at all levels. A representative of the cybersecurity consultancy Almond noted that industrial equipment long isolated from the internet is now connected to sensors or remote monitoring systems. He added that the simultaneous impact on hundreds of devices points to a certain level of sophistication.
