Cyberattack Heating Refrigerators to 50 Degrees in French Supermarkets
In an unprecedented cyberattack targeting supermarket chains in France, connected cooling units were heated to 50 degrees, leading to food waste and fires.
In an unprecedented cyberattack affecting hundreds of supermarkets across France, hackers raised the temperature of connected refrigerators up to 50 degrees during the night. The incident resulted in food losses and fires reported in some stores, while the national cybersecurity agency launched an investigation.
Damage Suffered in French Stores
The Paris prosecutor's office reported that connected refrigeration systems in the networks of major food retailers were subjected to a large-scale attack.
Authorities stated that as a result of the attack, alongside food losses, fires broke out in some stores and the situation remains serious.
Supermarket Chains Targeted by the Attack
Les Mousquetaires, the owner of Intermarché, reported that about 150 of its stores were affected and the refrigerators were heated to 50 degrees for six hours.
Dominique Schelcher, CEO of Coopérative U, stated that this situation, which targeted the preservation of fresh produce, created an unprecedented danger.
Official Institutions Launching Investigations
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu tasked ANSSI, France's national cybersecurity agency, with conducting a comprehensive investigation into the incident.
It was reported that France is coordinating with other European countries and investigating whether other domestic companies are at risk.
Software Vulnerability and Danfoss's Statement
ANSSI identified a security vulnerability in software provided by the Danish company Danfoss in connection with the attack.
Danfoss emphasized that a limited number of systems affected by the incident were running outdated software and that customers needed to update their systems.
Impacts on Other Countries and Networks
Dutch supermarket group Ahold Delhaize also announced that it encountered a security issue on its network and took systems offline.
Delhaize stores in Belgium and Luxembourg, as well as the Albert Heijn chain in the Netherlands, were also affected by similar security issues.