French Supermarkets Suffer Millions in Losses After Cyberattack on Refrigeration Systems
Hackers manipulated temperature controls, forcing the disposal of large quantities of perishable goods across multiple major grocery chains.
Hundreds of French supermarket stores have experienced significant losses due to a nationwide cyberattack that manipulated the temperature controls of their refrigeration systems. The coordinated attack, which affected at least five major grocery chains including Carrefour, Monoprix, Les Mousquetaires, E. Leclerc, and Coopérative U, forced the disposal of vast amounts of temperature-sensitive products.
The CEO of Coopérative U confirmed the cyberattack in a social media post, stating that the cold production facilities of numerous stores in their network were compromised. He condemned the act as "of extreme gravity and unprecedented," emphasizing that targeting essential equipment for food preservation and supply is "unacceptable."
The Paris prosecutor's office has characterized the incident as a "large-scale" attack impacting "connected refrigerators in several major food retailers across France." Carrefour reported that approximately 80 of its stores were affected, while Monoprix indicated that 5% of its nearly 500 French stores experienced disruptions. Les Mousquetaires noted that refrigerators at around 150 of its stores were heated up to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) for six hours, resulting in the discarding of all affected food.
While an official tally of the financial damage is still pending, experts estimate the losses to be upwards of 10 million euros (approximately $11.2 million). The CEO of Intermarche suggested the nationwide losses could reach "tens of millions of euros in a single day."
Sources indicate that the hackers targeted refrigerator control systems manufactured by the Danish company Danfoss. Danfoss acknowledged that many of the affected units were "legacy" products no longer receiving software or security updates, and some systems were using outdated firmware that the company had previously advised updating.
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has directed the National Cyber security Agency (ANSSI) to investigate. ANSSI has reportedly identified a vulnerability in software from a Danish company and has contacted the vendor.
Christophe Hansen, the European Union's Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, denounced the cyberattack as an assault on European food safety, stating, "the weaponization of food has become a reality."