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Cyberattack on French supermarket refrigeration systems

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2026-10-17 05:52 UTC → 2026-10-27 07:09 UTC · added ~~removed~~

A massive cyberattack targeted the internet-connected refrigeration controllers of hundreds of supermarkets across France, causing widespread food spoilage and potential fire hazards. Hackers remotely accessed temperature controllers from manufacturers including Danfoss, Copeland, and Dixell, triggering defrost modes that raised temperatures as high as 50°C. Approximately 700 of the country’s 10,000 supermarkets were affected, with major retailers such as Intermarché, Carrefour, Coopérative U, Monoprix, and Leclerc reporting impacts. Intermarché’s CEO, Thierry Cotillard, described the attack as “unprecedented,” noting that financial losses nationwide, including inventory loss and infrastructure damage, could reach tens of millions of euros. Intermarché specifically reported that roughly 150 of its stores were affected. The French national cybersecurity agency (ANSSI) and the Paris prosecutor’s office have launched investigations into the incident. Security experts noted that many compromised devices were running outdated firmware or were end-of-life models that no longer received security updates, highlighting significant vulnerabilities in digitized food supply chains and industrial control systems. Investigations have identified specific compromised product families, including Danfoss AK-SC and AK-SM models, as well as Copeland XWEB and Dixell brands. Experts noted the attack exploited basic vulnerabilities, such as exposed management interfaces and predictable credentials, rather than highly sophisticated methods. The incident has also raised international concerns; in the Netherlands, supermarket operator Ahold Delhaize reported a related security issue and took several systems offline as a precaution. Following the French incidents, research from Forescout’s Vedere Labs identified 12,976 internet-exposed refrigeration service observations across 6,017 public IP addresses in 99 countries. Experts, including Vincent Strubel of ANSSI, emphasized that the breaches resulted from elementary security failures like direct internet exposure and weak passwords. This widespread exposure poses critical risks to other temperature-dependent sectors, including hospitals, pharmacies, and pharmaceutical supply chains.

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