Enric Escofet

BREAKING: 🇫🇷 A major cyberattack has hit supermarket refrigeration systems across France, reportedly causing fresh and frozen food to spoil after hackers remotely manipulated temperature controls. According to BFMTV, the attack began overnight from Sunday into Monday, targeting older versions of refrigeration-control software supplied by Danish company Danfoss. The attackers allegedly exploited the systems’ defrosting function, forcing refrigeration equipment to heat continuously instead of keeping products cold. Temperatures were reportedly set as high as 50°C, destroying entire stocks of food within hours. Several major supermarket chains have been affected, including Intermarché, Super U and E.Leclerc. Metro stores and independent businesses, including butcher shops also have been impacted. Around 150 Intermarché stores are reportedly affected, according to industry sources cited by BFMTV. The full number of affected locations remains unclear. The financial damage is already significant. In Haguenau, Alsace, an Intermarché store reportedly lost its entire frozen-food stock, worth approximately €50,000. A nearby Super U allegedly had to discard both fresh and frozen products, with losses estimated at €220,000. An E.Leclerc store in the same town was also affected, although its losses had not yet been calculated. The combined losses reported at the Intermarché and Super U stores in Haguenau alone amount to around €270,000. Nationwide damage could reach several million euros. Intermarché reportedly confirmed the incident in an internal communication, warning that several stores had suffered losses of frozen products. Coopérative U also acknowledged the attack and established crisis teams to assist affected stores and coordinate with refrigeration specialists. Technical investigations are ongoing, and the full extent of the damage has yet to be established. Authorities and companies are still working to determine the full circumstances of the attack. The identity of the perpetrators has not been confirmed.