World · Europe · 2 hrs ago
Cyberattack heats refrigerators at hundreds of French supermarkets
Hackers raised the temperature of connected refrigerators and freezers at hundreds of supermarkets in France overnight, in some cases to 50 degrees Celsius.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said the attack affected several major food retailers and caused food losses and fires.
Carrefour said 80 stores were hit, while about 150 Intermarche stores were affected; Cooperative U also said it was targeted.
Intermarche discarded all affected food to avoid health risks, and some impacted stores were already operating again.
France’s Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu instructed the national cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, to investigate, and France is coordinating with European counterparts because other countries may also be affected.
Authorities identified a vulnerability in refrigeration-management software supplied by Danish company Danfoss; the company said the affected systems were using outdated firmware.
A Dutch supermarket operator, Ahold Delhaize, also reported a security issue, but it was not clear whether it was connected to the attack in France.
Hackers raised the temperature of supermarket refrigerators in France to 50°C overnight, causing fires and food losses at hundreds of stores.
Les Mousquetaires said about 150 of its stores were affected, while Carrefour reported 80 affected supermarkets.
The Paris prosecutor’s office described the attack as large-scale, and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu instructed France’s cybersecurity agency ANSSI to investigate.
ANSSI identified a vulnerability in software supplied by Danish company Danfoss, according to a source close to Lecornu.
Dutch supermarket operator Ahold Delhaize also reported a security issue, but it was unclear whether it was linked to the French attack.
- Who
- Hackers targeted connected refrigeration systems at French supermarket chains.
- What
- The attack raised refrigerator temperatures, leading to fires and food losses.
- When
- Overnight before the reports published on October 12, 2026.
- Where
- Hundreds of stores across France; a separate security issue was reported by Dutch operator Ahold Delhaize.
- Why
- Not stated.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Hackers raised refrigerator temperatures at affected French supermarkets, causing fires and food losses.
The Paris prosecutor’s office described the attack as large-scale, and Lecornu instructed ANSSI to investigate.
Ahold Delhaize reported a separate security issue; whether it was linked to the French attack was unclear.
- Temperature
- Up to 50°C
- Les Mousquetaires stores
- About 150 affected
- Carrefour supermarkets
- 80 affected
- Duration
- Fridges at Les Mousquetaires stores were heated for six hours
- ANSSI finding
- Vulnerability in software supplied by Danfoss
What people are saying
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.
aware of incidents in France affecting a limited number of refrigeration management systems
were running outdated firmware
Sources
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