In brief
French supermarkets fell victim to a coordinated cyber‑attack that commandeered refrigeration software, causing ovens to spike to 50 °C overnight. Over 400 stores across France experienced spoilage, fire alarms and loss of millions of euros in fresh and frozen goods. The attack exploited old Danfoss models whose security patches were outdated, prompting regulators to launch a specialised investigation. Retailers and the European Food Commissioner condemned the assault, while the incident underscores the rising threat to food supply chains.
Hundreds of French supermarkets have been hit by a coordinated cyber‑attack that forced their fridges and freezers to shatter cooling systems, leaving fresh and frozen food on the shelf at up to 50 °C overnight.
The perpetrators took control of the software managing the refrigeration units, causing in many places a sustained rise in temperature that speared the stored products. The striking heat range, far above the normal overnight defrost cycle, produced pockets of smoke and, in some cases, small fires as the super‑markets reopened.
The disruption affected more than 400 stores across the country – including Intermarché, Netto, Coopérative U, Carrefour, Monoprix and E.Leclerc – out of roughly 15,000 shops nationwide. Early estimates indicate the total loss could reach several million euros, with two stores in Alsace reporting €270,000 in lost goods alone.
Both retailer executive comments and a May‑for‑now anonymous statement from Danfoss, the Danish engineering firm that supplied the affected refrigeration software, reveal that the knocked‐out models were “older” systems that could not be updated to the latest security patches. Danfoss reiterated that its software, which permits remote temperature management, is only supported on unit models that keep protective updates current.
French prosecutors have opened a specialised cyber‑crime inquiry, labeling the attack “a large‑scale cyber‑attack affecting the refrigerators of several major food retail chains across France.” Meanwhile, European Food Commissioner Christophe Hansen warned on X that “weaponisation of food has become a reality” and that food security now demands elevated vigilance at every level.
Retail chain leaders are already mobilising refrigeration specialists to repair and re‑secure the systems. The Chief Executive of Coopérative U announced that staff are working “in co‑ordination with refrigeration specialists” to restore safe operations, calling the hack “unacceptable” and demanding a formal investigation.
Have you been affected by this cyber‑attack? Share your experience.
