Fridges in French supermarkets hit by cyber attack

Fridges in French supermarkets hit by cyber attack

Hundreds of supermarkets across France have been struck by a cyber attack that caused fridges and freezers to warm up, ruining fresh and frozen food worth an estimated millions of euros.

Hackers are reported to have taken control of the software managing the refrigeration units’ temperatures, pushing some to 50C (120F) overnight.

The chief executive of Coopérative U said several of its supermarkets had been affected by the "extremely serious and unprecedented" attack.

According to the AFP news agency, nearly 100 stores in the chain were targeted, while between 150 and 200 Intermarché supermarkets were hit.

Intermarché said its fridges rose to 50C for six hours overnight into Monday, and the retailer discarded all affected food to prevent health risks, Reuters reported.

Some supermarket workers reportedly said they were met by blasts of hot air when they opened freezer units on Monday morning.

French broadcaster BFMTV published an image of a freezer in an ice cream aisle showing a temperature of 26.5C.

The broadcaster added that two supermarkets in the Alsace region reported combined losses of €270,000 (£228,000), suggesting the total nationwide damage could reach millions.

Paris prosecutors confirmed the cyber attack and said it had led to fire outbreaks, according to AFP.

The full extent of the attack remains unclear.

Reports in specialist retail and local media said stores belonging to other major food groups, including Carrefour, E.Leclerc and Monoprix, were also targeted.

In a post on X, Coopérative chief executive Dominique Schelcher said staff were "fully mobilised, in co-ordination with refrigeration specialists, to restore the situation as quickly as possible".

He called for an investigation into the hack and said targeting equipment essential to the French food supply was "unacceptable".