Unprecedented Cyberattack Sabotages French Supermarket Refrigeration Systems
In an alarming and unparalleled cyberattack, hackers remotely escalated the temperature of refrigeration units at numerous French supermarkets to a staggering 50 degrees Celsius (122°F) overnight on October 12, 2026. This resulted in fires, extensive food spoilage, and raised pressing concerns about the susceptibility of crucial food infrastructure.
Major retail chains such as Carrefour, Intermarché, Coopérative U, and Monoprix bore the brunt of the attack. Les Mousquetaires, the parent company of Intermarché, reported that around 150 stores were impacted, with refrigeration units held at extreme temperatures for a duration of six hours. Carrefour confirmed that 80 of their stores were compromised. All spoiled food was promptly discarded to mitigate health risks. Intermarché CEO Thierry Cotillard cautioned that the attack would result in losses amounting to “tens of millions of euros nationwide in a single day.”
An insider involved in the investigation pinpointed refrigeration control systems from the Danish manufacturer Danfoss as the hackers’ entry point. Danfoss confirmed that the compromised units were operating on outdated firmware. The Paris prosecutor’s office characterized the incident as a “large-scale” attack, prompting French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to commission the National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) to conduct an investigation. European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen issued a stark warning that “the weaponization of food has become a reality.”