Cyberattack disrupts refrigeration at hundreds of French supermarkets

A cyberattack manipulated refrigeration systems at hundreds of French supermarkets, raising temperatures, spoiling fresh and frozen food and reportedly causing fires, retailers and the Paris prosecutor’s office said Monday.

Intermarché, its Netto brand, Coopérative U and E. Leclerc confirmed disruptions. Figures reported by the retailers indicate at least 400 stores were affected, though estimates varied. Intermarché said affected branches would have to discard all fresh and frozen products. E. Leclerc said the attack struck one of its refrigeration-equipment suppliers and disrupted systems in several stores.

Some refrigeration units were reportedly forced into continuous defrosting, with temperatures reaching 50 degrees Celsius for more than six hours in certain cases. The Paris prosecutor’s office described the incident as a large-scale attack affecting connected refrigerators across several major food retailers.

The systems targeted were linked to Danish manufacturer Danfoss. The company said it was aware of incidents involving a limited number of refrigeration-management systems in France and that affected equipment included legacy products or units running outdated firmware. It said customers had previously been advised to update supported systems or replace older models.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s office instructed France’s cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, to investigate and coordinate with European counterparts because other countries may be affected. Retail disruptions were also reported in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, but Dutch operator Ahold Delhaize said it had found no connection between its incident and the French attack. No person or group has claimed responsibility.