Hackers heat French supermarket fridges, sparking fires and food losses

PARIS, October 12 - Cybercriminals manipulated the temperatures of numerous French supermarket refrigerators to extreme levels overnight, resulting in several fires and substantial food losses in over 300 stores nationwide. French prosecutors reported the widespread cyberattack targeting connected refrigerators in major food retailers, causing damage including food losses and fires.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu directed the National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) to investigate the incident, which France is coordinating with European counterparts to address. ANSSI identified a vulnerability in software from Danish company Danfoss, which supplies refrigeration management systems; the company stated that affected units were running outdated firmware.

Several supermarket chains, including Intermarche, Cooperative U, Carrefour, Monoprix, E.Leclerc, and Auchan, confirmed they were affected, with Intermarche reporting around 150 stores hit, forcing them to discard all food to avoid health risks. Dutch supermarket operator Ahold Delhaize, which manages Albert Heijn and has US operations, also experienced a security issue, taking systems offline and informing customers of a cyber incident.