Supermarket freezers across France were turned into ovens after hackers remotely cranked their temperatures up to a scorching 120°F (50°C), putting food supplies and store safety at risk. The cyberattack reportedly caused food to spoil and even sparked fires, leaving major grocery chains facing costly damage and losses. But how did hackers gain control of supermarket refrigeration systems, and what made these stores vulnerable to such a disruptive attack? Read on to find out how the incident unfolded and what it reveals about the hidden risks facing modern supermarkets.
When retail freezers become heaters
Imagine walking into your local grocery store on a Monday morning, only to be hit by an unexpected wave of heat rushing from the frozen food aisles. Across France, hundreds of supermarket managers experienced just that after a coordinated cyberattack stealthily altered the software regulating industrial refrigeration units.
Instead of performing their normal, brief overnight defrost cycles, systems were manipulated to surge to temperatures reaching up to 50°C (120°F) and stay hot for hours. The consequences were immediate: massive quantities of fresh and frozen food spoiled, and in some locations, the intense thermal spike even sparked small fires.
Major grocery chains hit by the attack
Coopérative U, Intermarché and its discount brand Netto were among the retailers affected. Dominique Schelcher, chief executive of Coopérative U, described the incident as an “extremely serious and unprecedented” attack.
More than 100 Coopérative U supermarkets were targeted. At Intermarché and Netto, around 180 stores were affected, while another 100 shops were urgently disconnected from the internet as a precaution.
Other major retailers, including Carrefour, Monoprix and E.Leclerc, also reported problems. Based on figures provided by individual chains, approximately 400 stores may have been affected out of roughly 15,000 supermarkets across France, although the full extent of the disruption remains unclear.
Carrefour reported that refrigeration systems in 80 of its 6,000 stores had been compromised. Monoprix said around 5% of its more than 400 locations were affected.
How hackers forced supermarket freezers to overheat
The attack targeted software supplied by Danish engineering company Danfoss. The technology allows supermarkets to monitor and manage refrigeration equipment remotely, helping stores control temperatures across their cold-storage systems.
Supermarket freezers normally undergo a brief defrosting cycle overnight, during which temperatures rise slightly. In this case, however, the attackers reportedly manipulated the controls to keep refrigeration units heating for an extended period.
Intermarché told Reuters that temperatures in its affected units climbed to 50°C (120°F) and remained there for six hours overnight into Monday.
Danfoss did not confirm reports detailing the maximum temperatures reached by the compromised units. The company said the affected equipment consisted of older models whose security software could not be updated to address a known vulnerability.
In a statement, Danfoss said it had “long advised” businesses to keep supported systems up to date. “Reliable refrigeration is critical to our customers’ operations, and we remain committed to supporting our customers and helping them maintain secure and reliable systems they are used to,” the company added.
Spoiled food, disrupted stores, and mounting losses
The consequences became apparent when supermarket employees arrived at work on Monday morning. Staff at some locations reportedly encountered waves of hot air coming from refrigeration units, while small fires were also reported in certain stores.
French broadcaster BFMTV released an image showing a freezer in an ice cream aisle displaying a temperature of 79.7°F (26.5°C), far above the temperatures needed to keep frozen products safely stored.
The financial impact could be substantial. BFMTV reported that two supermarkets in the Alsace region suffered combined losses of €270,000 (about $302,000). With hundreds of stores potentially affected, the total cost nationwide could reach millions of euros.
In a statement to the BBC, Mousquetaires Group, the parent company of Intermarché and Netto, said some fresh and frozen food display units remained out of service on Monday afternoon.
The group said stores had “taken all necessary precautions to remove the products from these units” and that employees were working to restock shelves “as soon as possible”.
The precautionary measures were intended to prevent potentially compromised food from reaching customers, but they also left retailers facing wasted stock, disrupted operations, and the cost of restoring their refrigeration systems.
French authorities launch cybercrime investigation
French prosecutors have opened a dedicated cybercrime investigation into the incident. The Paris prosecutor’s office described it as a “large-scale cyber-attack affecting the refrigerators of several major food retail chains across France”.
The investigation is expected to examine how the attackers gained access to the refrigeration controls and whether the incident exposed wider weaknesses in the security of supermarket infrastructure.
European Food Commissioner Christophe Hansen also condemned the attack in a post on X, warning that food security deserved greater attention: “Food security requires more attention at all levels. Because the weaponisation of food has become a reality.”
Although the precise scale and financial cost of the incident remain uncertain, the attack has exposed how a cyber intrusion into an everyday supermarket system can quickly become a food safety and business crisis.
Sources:ReutersBBC
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