Hackers Disable Refrigeration Systems in Hundreds of French Supermarkets
A coordinated cyberattack raised temperatures in supermarket freezers across France, causing fires, food spoilage and significant financial losses.
Hackers manipulated internet-connected refrigeration controls at hundreds of French supermarkets, raising temperatures to as high as 50 °C overnight. The intrusion triggered fires and forced retailers to discard perishable goods.
The Paris prosecutor’s office described the incident as a large-scale attack affecting connected refrigerators in several major food retailers. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu ordered the National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) to investigate, and French authorities are coordinating with European counterparts to assess broader risks.
Carrefour reported that 80 of its stores were impacted, while Monoprix said about 5 % of its locations were affected. Les Mousquetaires, the owner of Intermarché, confirmed that fridges in roughly 150 stores were heated for six hours, leading to the disposal of all compromised food. Intermarché CEO Thierry Cotillard estimated nationwide losses could reach tens of millions of euros in a single day.
"Targeting equipment essential to the preservation of fresh products and to the food supply of the French people is of extreme gravity and is unprecedented," wrote Dominique Schelcher, CEO of Cooperative U, on X.
The vulnerability was traced to outdated firmware in Danfoss refrigeration controllers. Danfoss acknowledged the issue, noting that it had previously advised customers to update firmware and migrate to newer systems. Security firm Claroty’s Team82 had earlier published research on exploitable flaws in the Danfoss AK-SM 800A controller.
Similar disruptions were reported at U.S. military commissaries in late August, where compromised fridges also caused food losses.
French retail association Fédération du Commerce et de la Distribution called for full transparency from Danfoss and urged supermarkets to restore normal operations quickly. Some affected stores have already resumed service.
In the Netherlands, Ahold Delhaize reported a separate security issue that led to temporary offline status for several of its online platforms, though it said there was no link to the French incidents. Physical stores remained open, and rival retailers saw a rise in delivery orders.