A cyberattack hit the refrigeration systems of hundreds of supermarkets in France during the early hours of this Monday (12). At approximately 150 Intermarché stores, hackers raised the temperature of refrigerators and freezers to 50°C for six hours, causing food losses. The Paris Prosecutor's Office is also investigating reports of fires associated with the incident.
The offensive hit different retail chains. Carrefour confirmed 80 affected stores, while Monoprix reported problems at 5% of its stores. Coopérative U was also targeted, with nearly 100 establishments affected, according to information released to AFP.
Products stored in the compromised equipment had to be discarded to avoid health risks. There is still no consolidated estimate of the financial losses, and authorities are investigating the extent of the damage.
Affected equipment was using outdated software
The investigation identified a possible link to vulnerabilities in refrigeration control systems from Danish manufacturer Danfoss. France's National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) was tasked with investigating the attack by order of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
Danfoss acknowledged incidents involving its equipment and stated that the affected units were operating with outdated firmware. The manufacturer said it already recommended that customers install the latest versions and replace old systems.
The security history of this equipment adds a relevant detail to the episode. In March and August 2025, Danfoss itself published alerts about vulnerabilities in the AK-SM 8xxA controller family, including flaws that could allow bypassing authentication mechanisms and executing commands remotely.
The fixes were made available in software versions 4.2 and 4.3.1. Later, in August 2026, Claroty researchers documented these vulnerabilities and demonstrated that thousands of management interfaces for this type of equipment were accessible over the internet.
It has not yet been confirmed whether those responsible for the attack exploited any of these specific flaws. The controllers allow maintenance teams to remotely adjust temperatures and other settings, but this access also represents an exposure point when systems are not properly protected.
French authorities are coordinating the investigation with other European countries given the possibility of related incidents outside France. The inquiry also seeks to identify all affected companies and determine the relationship between the manipulation of the equipment, the food losses and the reported fires.
