Major French supermarket chains were hit by a cyberattack that remotely forced refrigeration systems into defrost mode across hundreds of stores, driving temperatures up, spoiling fresh and frozen food and forcing vast amounts of product to be thrown away. Intermarché (including Netto) reported at least 300 affected shops, Cooperative U said more than 100 outlets were hit and E. Leclerc acknowledged disruptions linked to a refrigeration equipment supplier; Paris prosecutors opened an investigation and media reported that the incident also sparked fires. Retailers and EU officials condemned the attack as an unprecedented assault on food security, and chains said teams are working to restore systems and assess financial and waste losses.
Investigators and authorities traced the disruption to control systems from Danish manufacturer Danfoss, naming legacy AK-SM800 and AK-SC355 regulators with outdated firmware that no longer receive security updates; Danfoss says it had long advised customers to upgrade. France’s cybersecurity agency identified a software vulnerability, has contacted the vendor and is coordinating with European counterparts to contain the risk. Security experts warn the episode highlights the danger of connecting industrial equipment to networks, the supply-chain exposure of critical infrastructure and the potential for coordinated “hybrid” attacks that can cause physical damage and undermine food supply resilience.
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