Cyberattack sends supermarket refrigeration temperatures to 50°C across France, triggering food losses and fire investigations
A cyberattack disrupted refrigeration systems at hundreds of French supermarkets, with some units reaching 50°C. Food was discarded and reported fires are under investigation.
Euro Times | Paris, France
A cyberattack on remotely managed refrigeration systems has disrupted hundreds of French supermarkets, with some chilled units reportedly reaching 50°C, forcing stores to destroy food and prompting investigations into reported fires and equipment damage.
The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed an investigation following the overnight incident on 11–12 October 2026. Reporting by Reuters, AFP and French media describes an attack on internet-connected systems used to control commercial refrigeration.
Food discarded after temperatures surge
Les Mousquetaires, the group behind Intermarché, said refrigeration equipment at approximately 150 Intermarché stores reached temperatures of around 50°C for about six hours. Staff were obliged to dispose of affected chilled and frozen products to protect customers.
The disruption extended beyond that chain. AFP reported at least 300 Intermarché and Netto stores affected, alongside more than 100 Coopérative U outlets and some E.Leclerc supermarkets. The different totals refer to different retail networks rather than contradictory counts for a single chain.
Carrefour told Reuters that 80 of its stores had been affected, while Monoprix said the incident involved about 5% of its outlets.
Fires, financial losses and a criminal investigation
The Paris prosecutor’s office said the investigation encompasses food losses and reported fires. Shops faced the costly task of clearing compromised stock after the cold chain was broken.
French newspaper Le Monde reported that remote manipulation of defrost settings contributed to temperature spikes. A definitive nationwide damage figure has not been established, although Intermarché chairman Thierry Cotillard suggested losses could run into tens of millions of euros in a single day.
How connected refrigeration became a target
Modern supermarket cooling installations often use internet-connected controllers that allow contractors to monitor temperatures and perform maintenance remotely. Preliminary accounts suggest attackers exploited weaknesses in refrigeration management software to change operating or defrost settings.
France’s cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, identified a vulnerability associated with systems supplied by Danish manufacturer Danfoss. Reports cited older AK-SM800 and AK-SC355 controllers. Danfoss said some affected installations relied on outdated software and urged customers to upgrade. That does not establish who carried out the attack.
European implications
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu tasked French cybersecurity authorities with examining the incident, while officials contacted European partners about possible exposure of similar equipment elsewhere. The attackers’ identities and motives have not been publicly established.
The incident highlights how cyber intrusions can affect physical infrastructure, food safety and day-to-day retail operations, not merely computer files or customer data.
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