Cyber attack disrupts French supermarkets, triggering food spoilage
Hackers raised the temperature of refrigerators and freezers at hundreds of French supermarkets to as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit overnight into Monday, causing fires and spoiling food, reports BritPanorama.
The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed that a “large-scale” attack impacted connected refrigerators in several major food retailers across France, leading to significant food losses and fires.
In response, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has instructed France’s National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) to investigate the incident. Authorities are working with European counterparts, given the potential for broader implications across multiple countries. Assessments are ongoing to determine if other French companies are at risk.
Felix Aime, a senior cyber threat intelligence analyst at Sekoia Threat Detection and Research, reported that Spain, Portugal, Poland, Germany, and Belgium also experienced disruptions.
Carrefour disclosed that 80 of its supermarkets were affected, while Monoprix, which operates around 490 stores in France, reported that about 5% of its locations experienced issues. The retailer Les Mousquetaires, owner of Intermarche, noted that fridges in around 150 of its stores were heated to 50 degrees Celsius for six hours overnight. A spokesperson confirmed that all affected food was discarded to mitigate health risks.
Witnesses recounted scenes at Intermarche outlets, with staff disposing of cartfuls of defrosted food, including melted ice cream. Cooperative U CEO Dominique Schelcher mentioned that 80 of its stores were impacted, although he emphasized that this represented a small fraction of their total 2,000-store network.
While Schelcher was unable to provide precise financial damage figures, he estimated that losses could reach tens of thousands of euros in smaller stores and up to €200,000 ($223,480) in larger hypermarkets. Industry-wide losses remain uncertain, but Intermarche CEO Thierry Cotillard indicated that the “unprecedented” attack might incur tens of millions of euros in losses across the country within a single day.
Christel Delberghe, director general at the European retail association Eurocommerce, highlighted that this incident underscores the need for enhanced resilience across the supply chain. Supermarket cold aisles typically operate via control panels connected to the internet, enabling remote access for maintenance.
ANSSI has identified a vulnerability in software from Danish company Danfoss, which acknowledged incidents affecting its refrigeration management systems in France. Danfoss stated that the impacted units were running outdated firmware and had advised customers to update their systems regularly.
Research published in August by cybersecurity firm Claroty’s Team82 detailed vulnerabilities in the Danfoss controller, noting that certain software updates could have helped prevent unauthorized access and code execution on compromised devices.
Similar disruptions previously affected around a dozen US military commissaries in late August, resulting in food losses due to compromised refrigeration systems. The French retail association Fédération du Commerce et de la Distribution has requested “full transparency” from Danfoss regarding the incident, emphasizing the supermarkets’ commitment to consumer safety and quick restoration of normal operations.
Additionally, Dutch retailer Ahold Delhaize, which runs the Netherlands’ largest supermarket chain Albert Heijn, reported it was dealing with a “security issue” on its network. Some systems were taken offline, and online grocery deliveries were suspended. Ahold noted that there is no indication of a link between the incidents affecting French supermarkets and its operations.
The severity and potential ramifications of the attack are still emerging, with authorities striving to anchor the situation firmly. Vigilance across Europe is paramount as the investigations proceed.
