Cyberattack on cold chain: 250 French supermarkets emptied
Hackers took control of connected refrigerators at several French retailers, raising temperatures to 80°C and destroying thousands of tonnes of products. At least 150 Intermarché stores and around a hundred Coopérative U supermarkets were affected.
Cold chain sabotaged by cyber attack
A cyberattack against service provider Danfoss, responsible for refrigeration systems in French major retail distribution, paralysed refrigerators and freezers at several hundred stores on Monday morning. According to TF1 Info, hackers remotely adjusted temperatures to as high as 80°C, causing complete thawing of frozen stocks and fresh produce.
At the Intermarché Super in Parempuyre, near Bordeaux, store manager Julien Fournier had to have all shelves emptied. "The frozen food fridges reached 50°C in the middle of the night," he told TF1's 1 p.m. news team. The shop recorded a loss of 20,000 euros in a single night. Employees were throwing products in the bin, the frozen goods having lost all commercial value.
According to initial information, at least 150 Intermarché stores and nearly a hundred Coopérative U supermarkets were hit by the attack. In Lyon, frozen food and butchery sections were completely shut down. "It's all empty. It's a disaster," reported a customer interviewed by TF1 Info.
The Intermarché Super in La Haye (Manche) confirmed on social media that the refrigeration management software had been compromised that night. "We suffered a cyberattack on our software, which unfortunately raised temperatures to 80°C. This caused some of our units to melt," the message posted Monday morning stated.
Dominique Schelcher, chief executive of Coopérative U, described the attack as "unacceptable". "Targeting equipment essential to the preservation of fresh produce and the food supply of French people is of extreme seriousness and is unprecedented," he said.
Two months ago, industrial cybersecurity researchers had already reported critical security flaws in Danfoss refrigeration controllers. When contacted by TF1 Info, the service provider declined to comment immediately on the incident.
Source: TF1 Info