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Hackers heat French supermarket fridges, sparking fires and spoiling food

PARIS, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Hackers raised the temperature of refrigerators and freezers at hundreds of French supermarkets to as high as 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight, causing fires and spoiling food.

Hackers heat French supermarket fridges, sparking fires and spoiling food

Hackers manipulated the temperatures of refrigerators and freezers at numerous French supermarkets, raising them to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight, leading to fires and spoiled food. The Paris prosecutor's office reported that the large-scale attack affected connected refrigerators in various major food retailers across France, resulting in considerable food losses and fires.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu directed France's National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) to investigate the incident, as the country collaborated with European counterparts to assess potential risks to other nations. Several supermarkets, including Carrefour, Monoprix, and Les Mousquetaires, reported their stores being affected.

French retail association Fédération du Commerce et de la Distribution called for transparency from Danfoss, the Danish company behind the software used in the compromised refrigeration systems.

Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

Also reported by 3 other outlets

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