Supermarkets in France affected by a cyberattack that compromised refrigeration systems

A cyberattack affected the refrigeration systems of several supermarkets in France on Sunday night into Monday, causing fresh and frozen products to spoil. The attack reportedly targeted older versions of software supplied by Danish company Danfoss, used to remotely monitor freezers and refrigerated display cases.

According to information published by Le Parisien and BFMTV, hackers allegedly exploited the automatic defrost function, causing the equipment to heat the products instead of keeping them cold. In some cases, temperatures reportedly reached as high as 50 degrees Celsius, and stocks were compromised within a few hours.

Problems were reported at Intermarché, E.Leclerc and Super U stores, as well as at Metro locations, butcher shops and other independent stores. Approximately 150 Intermarché stores were reportedly affected, although the full extent of the incident is not known.

In Haguenau, reported losses at one Intermarché store and one Super U store amount to approximately 270,000 euros. Nationwide, the damage could reach several million euros. Coopérative U confirmed the attack and activated crisis teams. The technical investigation is ongoing, and the perpetrators have not been identified.