France supermarkets say cyberattack forced defrosting of refrigerators in over 200 stores

Two major French supermarket chains, Intermarché and Coopérative U, were struck by a cyberattack that caused their refrigerators to defrost, according to the two retailers who spoke to AFP on Monday. Approximately 150-200 Intermarché stores and nearly 100 Coopérative U outlets were targeted in the attack. Paris prosecutors confirmed the incident, which also affected other prominent supermarket chains and led to fires.

BFM TV reported that E. Leclerc, France's largest supermarket chain, was also impacted, with hackers remotely triggering the defrosting of refrigeration systems in numerous locations. E. Leclerc has not yet confirmed this information. Stores affected by the attack will be required to discard all fresh and frozen products. Intermarché stated that affected branches will need to discard all fresh and frozen products.

The CEO of Coopérative U, Dominique Schelcher, called the cyberattack "unprecedented" and emphasized that targeting essential equipment for food preservation and the French food supply is extremely serious and unprecedented. The Paris prosecutor's office confirmed an investigation into the "large-scale cyberattack" that affected several major food retail chains across France.

The probe aims to identify victims and establish a connection between the reported food losses and the fires. Intermarché condemned the wasted food and financial losses resulting from the attack, but did not disclose any figures and warned about potential issues with insurance policies that do not cover such incidents. This event underscores the growing concerns over the potential devastation that cyberattacks can cause across various sectors in Europe.