Cyberattack hits refrigeration at hundreds of French supermarkets
Hackers forced cooling systems at Systeme U, Intermarche and E. Leclerc stores to defrost overnight, spoiling food worth millions of euros, French officials said.
Update ·
Liberation reports the cyberattack affected more than 200 stores, including some Monoprix outlets.
A cyberattack disabled refrigeration systems at French supermarkets overnight into Monday, forcing freezers and chillers to defrost and spoiling large amounts of fresh and frozen food, retailers and French officials said.
The attack hit stores run by the Systeme U, Intermarche and E. Leclerc chains. Most reports put the toll at around 150 shops, though Liberation said more than 200 supermarkets were affected; Franceinfo reported that 5% of Monoprix stores were also hit. Hackers remotely triggered forced defrosting of the cooling units overnight, pushing temperatures inside some units as high as 50 degrees Celsius, broadcaster BFMTV reported.
The disruptions targeted refrigeration equipment made by the Danish company Danfoss, French public broadcaster Franceinfo reported. Danfoss said the affected units were outdated models, Franceinfo said. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu referred the matter to the national cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, Franceinfo reported, with a source close to the case telling France Inter that total losses nationwide could run into several millions of euros.
Some stores in the eastern Alsace region lost substantial stock as a result of the forced defrosting: two supermarkets in the town of Haguenau reported significant losses of stock, Czech public television reported, citing French media. In Charente-Maritime, an E.Leclerc store had its display cases and storage bins emptied entirely after the attack, local news site Actu.fr reported.
Dominique Schelcher, head of the Systeme U retail cooperative, called the attack "extremely serious" and "unacceptable" in a post on X, and said his teams were working with refrigeration specialists to fix the units as quickly as possible. He said an investigation should clarify the full circumstances of the attack.
Les Mousquetaires, the group that runs the Intermarche chain, confirmed that Danfoss, which supplies its refrigerated display units, was hit by the cyberattack overnight, French broadcaster Radio France Info reported. The group said it was unaware of its cooling systems ever having faced an attack of this kind before.
What we know
- 2+ outlets · Daily Sabah, Nice-Matin +5Disputed A cyberattack disabled refrigeration at French supermarkets run by Systeme U, Intermarche and E. Leclerc overnight into Monday; most reports cite around 150 stores, Liberation says more than 200.
- 1 outlet · Franceinfo Franceinfo reported that 5% of Monoprix stores were also affected.
- 2+ outlets · 7sur7, Cyprus Mail +1 Hackers remotely forced cooling units to defrost, with temperatures reaching up to 50 degrees Celsius inside some units.
- 1 outlet · The Independent The affected equipment was made by Danish company Danfoss; PM Sebastien Lecornu referred the case to the national cybersecurity agency, ANSSI.
- 2+ outlets · Actu.fr, De Telegraaf +1 Two supermarkets in Haguenau, Alsace, and an E.Leclerc store in Charente-Maritime reported significant stock losses; nationwide losses could reach millions of euros.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
The attack disabled refrigeration systems built by a single supplier across several major retail chains at once, including some Monoprix stores, showing how a single point of failure in commercial equipment can cause widescale disruption. Retailers and officials described the scale of the intrusion as without precedent for French supermarket chains, prompting Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to involve the national cybersecurity agency.
Updates
·
Liberation reports the cyberattack affected more than 200 stores, including some Monoprix outlets.
First published.
Sources
Reported by 21 reports from 19 independent outlets in 10 countries.
- Daily Sabah: Cyberattack forces refrigerators to defrost at French supermarket chains
- Nice-Matin: Intermarché, Leclerc, U... Au moins 150 supermarchés victimes d’une cyberattaque visant leurs installations frigorifiques un peu partout en France
- 7sur7: Des supermarchés français victimes d’une cyberattaque: la température des frigos est montée à plus de 50°C
- Libération: Des frigos à 50 °C : une cyberattaque hors norme dans plus de 200 supermarchés français
- B.T.: Temperaturer blev skruet op under cyberangreb i franske supermarkeder
Source balance
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Questions and answers
- Which supermarket chains were affected?
- Systeme U, Intermarche and E. Leclerc stores, with around 150 to more than 200 shops hit depending on the report, plus some Monoprix outlets.
- What caused the food to spoil?
- Hackers remotely triggered forced defrosting of refrigeration units made by Danfoss, pushing temperatures up to 50 degrees Celsius.
- How much damage did the attack cause?
- Stores in Haguenau and Charente-Maritime reported significant losses; nationwide losses could reach millions of euros, though a full total has not been confirmed.
This article was written with AI assistance from 21 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.