France faces freezer meltdown as hackers strike supermarket chains

Refrigeration systems at hundreds of stores were remotely heated to 50°C, causing fires and food losses estimated to run into millions of euros as French authorities investigate whether other European countries have been affected

Hackers have caused millions of euros worth of suspected damage to French supermarkets after remotely heating fridges and freezers to 50°C, destroying fresh and frozen food and triggering fires.

Hundreds of stores belonging to some of France’s biggest supermarket chains were hit in the overnight cyberattack, with retailers forced to throw away large quantities of stock and temporarily close affected departments.

The attack took place overnight and reportedly affected branches of Intermarché, Netto, Coopérative U, Carrefour, Monoprix and E.Leclerc.

French prosecutors have now opened a criminal investigation, while Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has instructed the country’s national cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, to examine the breach and establish whether other businesses could be at risk.

According to reports, hackers targeted refrigeration management systems using software which allows businesses to control temperatures remotely. The attack involved manipulating automatic defrosting cycles, increasing temperatures and extending the time refrigeration equipment remained heated.

At some stores, temperatures reached 50°C and remained elevated for six hours. In other locations, equipment reportedly reached 80°C, causing damage to refrigeration installations.

The attackers also extended defrosting cycles from one hour to eight hours, delaying alarms and allowing temperatures to rise before staff were alerted.

In some supermarkets, the overheating triggered fire safety systems, while French prosecutors confirmed reports of fires and substantial food losses.

Retailers were forced to dispose of fresh and frozen produce after temperatures exceeded safe storage limits, with some stores temporarily closing while staff cleared refrigeration units and inspected equipment.

The full financial impact remains unknown, but losses are estimated to run into millions of euros nationally.

French authorities are investigating how the attackers accessed the systems and whether the same vulnerabilities have been exploited elsewhere.

No group has publicly claimed responsibility for the attack, and the identity of those responsible remains unknown.

READ MORE: Hackers could plunge Britain into darkness in less than two minutes, report warns. New modelling puts the chance of a major cyberattack on Britain’s battery storage network within five years at 92 per cent, warning that a coordinated strike could trigger a nationwide blackout affecting 67 million people and cause up to £10bn in damage.

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_{Main image: Hundreds of French supermarkets have been hit by a cyberattack that caused refrigeration systems to overheat, destroying fresh and frozen food and leaving retailers facing losses estimated to run into millions of euros. Credit: freestocks.org via Pexels.}