Cyberattack forces French supermarkets to discard food after cooling failures
In short
A cyberattack on supermarket refrigeration systems in France on October 11–12 forced hundreds of stores to discard food, Japanese outlets reported. Attackers manipulated defrost settings, with temperatures reported as high as 50 degrees Celsius.
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A cyberattack on refrigeration systems at French supermarkets on October 11–12 forced hundreds of stores to dispose of fresh and frozen food, according to Japanese reports citing international media and affected businesses. Attackers manipulated defrost functions on network-connected equipment, raising temperatures instead of keeping products cold. TBS NEWS DIG, carrying Bloomberg's reporting, said Intermarché's operator reported about 150 affected stores and temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius for roughly six hours. [ 1 , 3 , 5 ]
ITmedia reported that Coopérative U also acknowledged attacks and was working with refrigeration specialists on recovery. It said some incidents involved fires and that Paris prosecutors were investigating affected stores, food losses and possible links to fires. The outlet reported that Danfoss said most affected equipment consisted of older products or current products running old firmware. The company said it was working with customers on firmware updates where possible, stronger network protection and removing direct internet connections. [ 5 ]
ASCII reported that France's cybersecurity agency ANSSI warned on October 12 of numerous compromises involving Danfoss AK-SM and AK-SC controllers. It advised against exposing management interfaces directly to the internet and recommended access restrictions. The attackers and specific entry route remained unidentified in the reports. Estimates of the overall scale varied: Nippon TV cited the BBC's figure of around 400 stores, Yomiuri reported around 500, and Mynavi later cited BetaNews's figure of more than 350. These totals were not reconciled in the supplied coverage. [ 5 , 6 , 13 , 18 , 22 ]
Why it matters
The incident disrupted food preservation and caused reported fires at some stores. Danfoss said it was working with affected customers on firmware updates and network protection where possible.
Key facts
- Hundreds of French supermarket stores were affected by attacks on network-connected refrigeration equipment. [ 1 , 3 , 5 ]
- Intermarché's operator reported about 150 affected stores. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
- Reports described unauthorized defrost operation raising temperatures and forcing food disposal. [ 1 , 3 , 5 ]
- The Paris prosecutor's office opened an investigation, ITmedia reported citing Reuters. [ 5 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The attackers, entry route and full extent of damage remained unknown. ITmedia and ASCII reported that the attackers and intrusion route were not established. Reports put the affected-store count at more than 350, around 400 or around 500.