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French Supermarket Cyberattack Hits Refrigeration Systems — AI-generated representative image: A supermarket worker inspects refrigerated displays after a cyberattack disrupted cooling systems across French stores.

Editorial Team

Hackers remotely triggered defrosting across major retail chains, spoiling food and prompting a national cybersecurity investigation.

A cyberattack targeting refrigeration systems at hundreds of supermarkets across France pushed fridges and freezers to temperatures as high as 50 degrees Celsius (122F), spoiling fresh and frozen food and triggering fires at several stores. Retailers Intermarche, Cooperative U, E Leclerc and others confirmed the attack on Monday, describing it as unprecedented in scale.

The incident marks one of the most significant known attacks on food retail infrastructure in Europe, disrupting essential supply of fresh products to French consumers. It has prompted Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to order a formal investigation and raised concerns that other countries and critical sectors could face similar threats.

Retail Impact and Official Response

At least 300 Intermarche and Netto-branded stores were targeted, along with more than 100 Cooperative U outlets, according to the retailers. Carrefour reported 80 affected supermarkets, while Monoprix said roughly 5 percent of its approximately 490 stores were hit and E Leclerc confirmed several of its locations were targeted.

The Paris prosecutor's office described the operation as a "large-scale" attack affecting "connected refrigerators in several major food retailers across France", noting it led to food losses and fires. In response, Prime Minister Lecornu directed France's National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) to investigate, and authorities are coordinating with European counterparts because other countries could also be affected.

Vulnerability and Prior Warnings

Supermarket cold aisles are typically managed by control panels that oversee an entire store's fridges and freezers and can be accessed over the internet, allowing maintenance companies to adjust them remotely. ANSSI identified a vulnerability in software supplied by Danish company Danfoss, which said it was aware of incidents in France affecting a limited number of refrigeration management systems. The company noted the affected units were running outdated firmware and that it had long advised customers to update their systems and replace older equipment.

The attack followed research published by cybersecurity firm Claroty on August 9 describing vulnerabilities in Danfoss systems that could allow attackers to bypass authentication. France's retail federation, the FCD, called on Danfoss to provide full transparency, while noting some affected stores were already operating again.

Losses and Expert Assessments

Intermarche CEO Thierry Cotillard told BFM TV the attack would represent losses amounting to "tens of millions of euros nationwide in a single day". Affected stores were required to discard all fresh and frozen products. Cooperative U chief executive Dominique Schelcher said refrigeration systems had been disrupted since Sunday night, calling the targeting of equipment essential to food preservation "extremely serious" and "unprecedented".

Felix Aime, a senior cyberthreat intelligence analyst at Sekoia Threat Detection and Research, said Spain, Portugal, Poland, Germany and Belgium had also been affected. Cybersecurity analyst Steven Lachance described the incident as "a global wake-up call", warning that future attacks could target energy infrastructure or hospitals.

What Happens Next

Retail teams are working to restore normal operations as quickly as possible, and some affected stores have already resumed activity. An official investigation is underway to determine the full scope of the attack, and French authorities are assessing whether additional domestic companies remain at risk while coordinating with European partners. Further details on industry-wide losses are still awaited.