Hundreds of French supermarkets have been hit by a cyberattack that caused refrigerators and freezers to warm up, spoiling fresh and frozen food worth millions of euros, reports the BBC.Cybercriminals gained control of the software monitoring temperatures in the refrigerators and freezers and forced the units to heat up to 50 degrees Celsius. The CEO of Coopérative U stated that several of the company’s supermarkets faced an attack of unprecedented scale and severity. More than 100 of the company’s stores were affected, and 180 Intermarché stores were also targeted. A company representative said that another 100 stores were disconnected from the internet to prevent the attack.Other food retailers—Carrefour, Monoprix, and E.Leclerc—were also affected by the cyberattack. All the companies hit by the attack used software developed by the Danish firm Danfoss, which allows for the remote regulation of temperatures in refrigerators and freezers. Under normal conditions, supermarket freezers undergo a brief defrosting cycle at night, during which the temperature rises only slightly. Meanwhile, cybercriminals caused the equipment to overheat and maintain high temperatures. Danfoss has not confirmed reports regarding the specific temperatures reached by the units. The company merely stated that the cyberattack affected older models of freezers and refrigerators whose software could not be updated to mitigate the risks, adding that it had long recommended replacing equipment utilizing the remote control software.The full extent of the attack remains unknown; however, information provided by certain supermarket chains indicates that 400 out of approximately 15,000 supermarkets in France were affected. Carrefour reported that the refrigeration control systems in 80 of its stores (out of a total of 6,000) were compromised. Monoprix stated that about 5% of its more than 400 stores were affected and that food products whose safety could not be guaranteed were withdrawn from sale. The Mousquetaires Group, which owns the Intermarché and Netto supermarket chains, told the BBC that some fresh and frozen food display units were still not functioning on the afternoon of the 12th of October. The stores reportedly took all necessary measures and removed products from the affected display cases, and staff are working to restock the shelves as quickly as possible.Intermarché reported that the store’s refrigerators heated up to 50 degrees Celsius during the night from Sunday to Monday, and the temperature remained high for six hours. To avoid potential risks to consumer health, the retailer discarded all food contained in the affected units.On the morning of the 12th of October, store employees were met by a wave of hot air upon arrival, and small fires had broken out in some areas.French prosecutors have launched an investigation into the attack.
Food worth millions of euros spoiled in cyberattack on French stores
