French Supermarkets Hit with ‘Large-Scale’ Cyberattack Causing Fridges to Heat Up to 122°F, Spoiling Food
French Supermarkets Hit with ‘Large-Scale’ Cyberattack Causing Fridges to Heat Up to 122°F, Spoiling Food
Escher WalcottTue, October 13, 2026 at 1:17 PM UTC
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A Carrefour Chateau Roussillon supermarket in Perpignan, FranceCredit: Jc Milhet / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty -
Hackers reportedly took remote control of refrigeration systems at hundreds of stores across France on Monday, Oct. 12
The attack affected Intermarché, Netto, Coopérative U, Carrefour and Monoprix stores overnight
French prosecutors launched a cybercrime investigation after food losses and fires were reported
A cyberattack hit hundreds of French grocery stores, causing refrigerator and freezer temperatures to heat up, destroying millions of dollars worth of food.
On Monday, Oct. 12, hackers allegedly targeted the refrigeration control systems of the Danish manufacturer Danfoss, affecting several major French retailers. Some fridges rose to 50°C (122°F) overnight following the attack, the French outlets BFMTV, Le Monde and France 24 reported.
Head of Coopérative U Dominique Schelcher confirmed cyber attack in a post on X, describing the incident as “unprecedented.”
“I confirm that a cyberattack has been affecting, since last night, the cold production facilities of several stores in our network @CooperativeU,” he wrote. “Our teams are fully mobilized, in coordination with refrigeration specialists, to restore the situation as quickly as possible. An investigation will be necessary to shed full light on this attack.”
A customer notice displayed on empty fresh-food refrigerators at an Intermarché supermarket in Nevez, France, on Oct. 12Credit: Fred TANNEAU / AFP via Getty
“Targeting equipment essential to the preservation of fresh products and to the food supply of the French people is of extreme gravity and is unprecedented. It is unacceptable,” the post concluded.
Around 300 Intermarché and Netto stores were affected by the cyberattack, along with 100 Coopérative U stores, 80 Carrefour stores and 30 Monoprix stores, according to BFMTV, Le Monde and France 24.
The Paris prosecutor’s office (PPO) reported that the large-scale attack resulted in damages of “food losses and fires” and have launched a cyber-crime investigation, per the U.K.’s The Guardian and the BBC.
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The hackers allegedly operated the refrigeration control systems remotely and launched a continuous defrost cycle set to 122°F, causing the food to spoil overnight, BFMTV and France 24 reported.
“The attack was probably launched around 11 p.m., but we only realized it at 4 a.m. when our delivery driver saw the storeroom was flooded,” Intermarché supermarket owner Charles Dezon told Le Monde. “The temperature had reached 50°C in the cold room, which set off a sprinkler.”
A woman walks past empty refrigerators at an Intermarché supermarket in western France on Oct. 12Credit: Fred TANNEAU / AFP via Getty
Mousquetaires Group, which owns Intermarché and Netto, told BFMTV that both stores “have taken all necessary precautions to remove the products from this equipment as quickly as possible.”
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European Food Commissioner Christophe Hansen added in a statement on X, “I strongly condemn the cyberattack targeting food products at @intermarche @CooperativeU @Leclerc. Food security requires more attention at all levels. Because the weaponization of food has become a reality.”
PEOPLE has reached out to the PPO, European Union, Mousquetaires Group and European Food Safety Authority for comment.
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Source: “AOL Breaking”
