A sweeping cyberattack struck several of France's largest supermarket chains on Monday, targeting the refrigeration systems and causing fridges and freezers in hundreds of stores to heat up instead of cool down. As a result, large quantities of food spoiled and had to be thrown away, deepening worries about the security of food supplies.
The affected chains included well-known names such as E. Leclerc, Intermarché, and Cooperative U, all of which confirmed the incidents to AFP. Cooperative U’s CEO described the attack as unprecedented.
Christophe Hansen, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food at the European Commission, condemned the attack on X, stressing that food safety requires greater attention at all levels. He warned that such exploitation of food is now a reality.
According to the chains, at least 300 Intermarché stores, including outlets under its Netto brand, 100 Cooperative U locations, and several E. Leclerc supermarkets were affected. The scale of the attack was confirmed individually by each retailer to AFP.
The Paris public prosecutor’s office also confirmed the incident and noted that it had even triggered fires in some locations. According to BFM TV, the hackers managed to remotely activate the “defrost” function on refrigeration systems in a number of stores, causing freezers to warm up.
Intermarché told AFP that all affected shops would need to dispose of their fresh and frozen products. Industry website jebosseengrandedistribution.fr indicated that Carrefour Market and Monoprix may also have been targeted, though these chains have yet to officially confirm their involvement.
An anonymous source told AFP that refrigeration systems by Danish manufacturer Danfoss appeared to have also been targeted. Danfoss, when contacted by AFP, said the affected fridges were older models that no longer receive software or security updates.
This incident takes place amid growing concern over the potential damage cyberattacks could inflict in Europe. Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron announced new measures aimed at protecting national infrastructure from possible Russian hybrid attacks.
