Erika Malandra A cyberattack appears to have disrupted the refrigeration systems of hundreds of supermarkets in France overnight between Sunday and Monday, affecting the Coopérative U and Intermarché chains. The news of the hacker attack , also published by Repubblica, concerns a problem that affected key food preservation equipment such as supermarket refrigerators .
Groupement Mousquetaires, the owner of Intermarché, has estimated damages at several million euros. French authorities are trying to identify the vulnerability exploited by the hackers and determine whether other companies may be exposed to the same risk.
Refrigerator hackers target Danfoss software
The crux of the matter is the computer system used to manage the refrigeration systems.
According to Sky TG24, citing the French newspaper Le Figaro , the attacks targeted Danfoss software, supplied by a Danish company and used to remotely control the refrigeration systems of numerous supermarkets.
The malfunction affected equipment essential for keeping food at the correct temperature.
This is not a minor detail for large-scale retail trade: when the plants stop functioning regularly, the problem also affects the preservation of fresh and frozen products.
The economic consequences of what appears to be a hacker attack have obviously been significant. The Mousquetaires Group has reported losses of several million euros, while investigations into the nature of the attack on the refrigerators and its scope are ongoing.
France's national cybersecurity agency also intervened, identifying a vulnerability in the software and contacting the vendors. The report was made by a source close to Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
The agency's work doesn't just concern supermarkets already affected. Authorities are trying to identify other French companies that might be using systems with the same vulnerability. This verification effort, therefore, aims to prevent further problems.
France: Coopérative U's Statements After the Cyber Attack
Dominique Schelcher, executive director of Coopérative U, provided further details on the incident. In a message published on X, he described the attack as serious and unprecedented, drawing attention to the importance of the equipment involved for the preservation of fresh produce and for food supplies.
Schelcher confirmed that the malfunctions began during the night between Sunday and Monday. It's precisely the speed with which the problem manifested itself that makes the matter significant for the distribution sector.
Meanwhile, the French cybersecurity agency has also initiated contact with its European counterparts. The goal is to determine whether the problem could affect companies in other countries and enable possible preventative measures.
The case highlights an often overlooked aspect of cybersecurity: digital systems not only manage data and payments, but can also control infrastructure essential to daily operations. In this case, the potential hacker attack would have targeted the refrigeration system of supermarket refrigerators.
Investigations are currently ongoing... The information provided by the sources cited concerns the vulnerability identified in the software, the malfunctions of the systems, and the economic losses reported by large-scale retailers.