A recent cyberattack in France led to significant food waste as multiple grocery chains had to dispose of large quantities of temperature-sensitive products. Hackers reportedly manipulated the temperature settings of refrigeration systems in hundreds of stores belonging to at least five different brands, including Carrefour, Monoprix, Les Mousquetaires, E. Leclerc, and Coopérative U, as noted by Reuters and European officials.
The CEO of Coopérative U confirmed the incident via a post on X, stating, “I confirm that a cyberattack has been affecting, since last night, the cold production facilities of several stores in our network Coopérative U.” He emphasized the serious nature of targeting equipment critical for food preservation, expressing that such an attack is unprecedented and unacceptable.
The Paris prosecutor’s office also labeled the event as a “large-scale” attack, impacting “connected refrigerators in several major food retailers across France.” Carrefour reported that approximately 80 of its stores were affected, while Monoprix indicated that about 5% of its 490 locations experienced issues.
Les Mousquetaires disclosed that some refrigerators reached 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) for six hours, resulting in the disposal of all affected food. The financial impact is still being assessed, but experts suggest losses could exceed 10 million euros, equating to around $11.2 million. Thierry Cotillard, CEO of Intermarche, expressed concern, estimating damages might reach “tens of millions of euros nationwide in a single day.”
It’s believed that the hackers targeted refrigerator control systems made by Danish company Danfoss. Danfoss acknowledged that many affected devices were outdated and no longer receiving software updates, and urged clients to upgrade the systems long ago.
In response to the crisis, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has tasked the national cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, with investigating the attack. Reports indicate that detection of a vulnerability in the software provided by Danfoss has already taken place. Concerned about food safety, Christophe Hansen, the European Union’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, condemned the cyberattack and stressed that food security needs to be prioritized at all levels.
