Hackers caused a major cyberattack in France by increasing the temperature of supermarket fridges to 50 degrees Celsius (122°F). This attack impacted several hundred stores, leading to food losses and fires. The Paris prosecutor’s office indicated that this was a large-scale attack affecting major food retailers. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has asked the National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) to investigate, and France is coordinating with other European countries that may also be affected.
Les Mousquetaires, which operates Intermarche, reported that approximately 150 of its stores were affected, resulting in the disposal of food to prevent safety issues. Cooperative U’s CEO stated their supermarket was also impacted, highlighting the seriousness of targeting crucial equipment for food preservation. Other supermarket chains, including Carrefour and Monoprix, have not commented on the situation.
Additionally, the Dutch supermarket company Ahold Delhaize mentioned that they were facing a security issue but kept their stores open. Their online systems, however, were down, and electronic price tags showed incorrect information. It remains unclear if the French attack is related to Ahold Delhaize’s issues. ANSSI found a software vulnerability linked to Danish company Danfoss, which confirmed that affected units were using outdated firmware and emphasized the need for updates.
With information from Reuters
