Box TV: French multi-door refrigerators turned into heating cabinets

The numbers are staggering. Carrefour reported that 80 of its supermarkets were attacked. The CEO of Intermarché stated that refrigerators in 150 stores were heated to 50°C overnight—for six hours straight. Monoprix, which operates 490 stores, reported that approximately 5% of its outlets were affected. According to comments by Intermarché CEO Thierry Cotillard, cited by Reuters in an interview with BFM TV, he estimated the nationwide daily losses from this attack at "several million euros" and called it an "unprecedented" event. Dominique Schelcher, CEO of Cooperative U, said that its 80 supermarket outlets were similarly impacted and echoed Cotillard’s assessment. "Targeting equipment indispensable for preserving fresh products—and, by extension, France’s food supply system—is extremely serious and unprecedented," he declared on X (formerly Twitter). Some supermarkets’ refrigerators and freezers are designed to be internet-accessible, enabling authorized entities to monitor temperatures and adjust settings remotely as needed. Yet clearly, the security of these systems fell far short of required standards. According to reports, France’s National Agency for the Security of Information Systems (ANSSI) is investigating the incident and has identified a vulnerability in software supplied by the Danish company Danfoss. Danfoss told Reuters it was "aware of an incident in France affecting a limited number of refrigeration management systems" and noted that the affected devices "were running outdated firmware." Recent software updates have patched a series of vulnerabilities discovered in August by cybersecurity firm Team82—vulnerabilities that could allow attackers to bypass authentication controls and execute code remotely.

Hackers raised supermarket chillers to 50°C, sending fresh goods from 300 stores straight into the trash overnight

The manufacturers themselves were already aware. Danfoss has disclosed several high-severity vulnerabilities affecting refrigeration system software over recent months—including one announced on September 18 that would allow attackers to read and write internal device values, and to download and execute unprotected programs. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) also issued a security advisory regarding AK-SM 8xxA-series controllers, citing authentication weaknesses in older versions, command injection risks, and the potential for unauthorized tampering with control settings. Some may ask: if the items merely got warm for a short while—and appear otherwise undamaged—why must they be discarded? This brings us to the logic of the cold chain: food must remain within specified temperature ranges throughout transport, storage, and retail sale. Once temperature logs are compromised or goods have been exposed to unsafe temperature zones, it becomes impossible to verify whether spoilage has occurred or pathogenic bacteria have silently proliferated. Per food safety regulations, such products cannot be sold at discount; they must be destroyed—and the entire process is supervised by veterinarians and local government authorities. For consumers, this is actually good news: legitimate retailers will not re-shelve goods that have thawed and refrozen. Risks are thus blocked before they reach the shopping cart—eliminating any need for panic-buying or stockpiling. In recent years, we’ve grown accustomed to cyberattacks targeting retailers—but most have aimed at data theft. In August, for instance, Intermarché confirmed a breach affecting 287,605 Drive customers’ personal information. This incident, however, is entirely different: no customer data was stolen, nor were any ransom demands publicly issued. What was destroyed was tangible—actual food inventory. This is a classic OT (Operational Technology) attack. OT refers to automated systems that directly control physical equipment—distinct from IT (Information Technology), which manages data. When the target shifts from databases to compressors, chillers, and valves, consequences can no longer be summed up by the phrase “data breach.” In its official case filing, the Paris public prosecutor’s office even mentioned “fire ignition points” (départs de feu), indicating that some equipment overheated to the point of posing fire hazards—extending threats beyond shelves to property safety. This incident also exposes a structural problem: supermarket refrigeration systems are typically installed and maintained by external service providers (frigoristes), with store-level IT departments rarely involved. Responsibility for applying patches or managing passwords is often unclear—leaving refrigeration systems as unmonitored corners of store networks. Another complication involves insurance: Intermarché explicitly stated that such in-store attacks generally fall outside standard insurance coverage, making compensation disputes likely to become a focal point in the aftermath. The incident has escalated to the national level. France’s Prime Minister has directed the National Agency for the Security of Information Systems (ANSSI) to intervene. ANSSI identified a vulnerability in software provided by a Danish company, contacted the vendor, and is coordinating with European counterparts—since other countries may also be affected—while simultaneously assessing whether additional French enterprises have been compromised. Dominique Schelcher, head of Coopérative U, confirmed the attack on the social media platform X, stating that the cyberattack had impacted refrigeration systems across multiple group stores since the previous night—and emphasizing that targeting critical infrastructure essential for preserving fresh food and securing France’s food supply is "extremely serious, unprecedented, and unacceptable."

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Copeland, Dixell refrigeration systems also hacked, French cybersecurity agency says

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