Hundreds of French supermarkets were forced to throw away perishable goods on Monday after hackers commandeered their refrigeration systems across the country, destroying major chains’ stocks in a sophisticated cyberattack overnight.
Hackers destroyed food by taking control of the refrigeration systems of Coopérative U, Leclerc, Les Mousquetaires and Intermarché stores across the country, then defrosting thousands of freezers and refrigeration units.
During the nighttime attack, in some cases, well-stocked refrigerators were heated to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) for more than six hours.
More than 400 stores were affected according to retailers.
Paris prosecutors confirmed the attacks and said fires had been reported in some locations.
Intermarché said affected stores had no choice but to “discard all fresh and frozen products”.
Leclerc told AFP that “a cyberattack hit one of its refrigeration equipment suppliers”, triggering “repercussions on the operation of the refrigeration systems of several stores”.
How did we access refrigeration systems?
The refrigeration systems targeted would come from the Danish supplier Danfoss, as suggested by the office of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who would have identified “a vulnerability in software provided by a Danish company and would have contacted the supplier”.
Danfoss said it was “aware of incidents in France affecting a limited number of refrigeration management systems”, adding that the units in question “were using outdated firmware”.
Danfoss said it has “long advised its customers to keep supported systems up to date with the latest firmware and migrate existing systems to current generation solutions.”
Prime Minister Lecornu’s office has tasked the French Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) with investigating this attack and is “in liaison with its European counterparts, as other countries could be affected.”
“Security issues” were also reported in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, with Dutch supermarket chain Ahold Delhaize saying it had taken refrigeration systems offline to protect them, although the company added that it saw no link with the French attacks.
Attacks on food supply are now ‘a reality’
It is not yet clear who might be responsible for the cyberattack, and no group or individual has yet claimed responsibility.
This incident comes amid growing concern over vulnerabilities related to industrial ransomware and cyberattacks by malicious actors in general, as well as increased sensitivity to Russian hybrid attacks amid growing tensions over the war in Ukraine.
Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron – a strong supporter of kyiv’s self-defense against Russia – ordered measures to protect France’s critical infrastructure against “hybrid attacks” from the Kremlin.
Dominique Schelcher, CEO of Cooperative U, wrote on
“Food safety requires more attention at all levels,” European Commissioner for Food and Agriculture Christophe Hansen wrote on X, condemning the attack, adding that “the exploitation of food” is now a “reality.”
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Edited by: Wesley Rahn
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