On the night of 12 October, a cyberattack in France targeted the refrigeration systems of supermarkets belonging to several retail chains. After hackers interfered, the equipment ran continuously in defrost mode, heating up to 50°C, which spoiled fresh and frozen products.
Les Mousquetaires, which owns the Intermarché chain, said the attack affected around 150 stores. The refrigeration equipment heated up to 50°C for six hours. All products had to be disposed of to avoid sanitary risks.
Supermarkets in the Coopérative U chain were also affected by the cyberattack. Its chief executive, Dominique Schelcher, called the incident unprecedented. He did not give an exact number of affected stores, but sources in the retail industry told journalists it could have been nearly 100.
Carrefour and E.Leclerc also confirmed attacks on several of their stores. Monoprix, Auchan and Metro had not commented on the situation at the time of publication.
The affected companies have not officially disclosed the amount of damage. However, experts spoken to by journalists suggest losses could run into millions of euros.
According to media sources in the office of France’s Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, he instructed the French National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) to investigate the circumstances of the incidents.
Specialists identified a vulnerability in the software used to manage refrigeration equipment made by Danish manufacturer Danfoss, which was used in the affected supermarkets. The Paris public prosecutor’s office has also opened its own investigation.