Cyber attack on French supermarket refrigeration systems causes tens of millions of euros in losses
Hundreds of French supermarkets suffered a cyber attack targeting their refrigeration installations, forcing the disposal of fresh products. An investigation has been opened by the Paris prosecutor's office.
Hackers target refrigeration systems at major retailers
In the night of Sunday to Monday, hundreds of French supermarkets were hit by an unprecedented cyber attack targeting their refrigeration equipment, according to 20minutes.fr. The hackers remotely modified the temperatures of the installations, resulting in the massive destruction of fresh products.
At least 300 Intermarché and Netto stores, 80 Carrefour outlets, around thirty Monoprix locations, fewer than one hundred Coopérative U points of sale and several E.Leclerc stores were affected. The final toll remains to be established.
Temperatures raised to 50 degrees
The hackers managed to "defrost all our cold units and raise their temperature to 50 degrees," declared Thierry Cotillard, head of Mousquetaires/Intermarché, on Monday evening on BFMTV. To maintain the cold chain, distributors had to discard the affected products. The losses could reach "tens of millions of euros nationwide," according to the executive.
The flaw: obsolete Danfoss controllers
According to a source close to the matter, the attack targeted the refrigeration control systems made by Danish manufacturer Danfoss. The company states that "the majority of the affected units are older products [...] that have reached the end of their life and no longer benefit from software or security updates". Danfoss had flagged a major vulnerability as early as 18 September.
The director general of ANSSI, Vincent Strubel, considers it "urgent to disconnect them from the Internet, or at minimum adopt a very restrictive network filtering policy," in reference to Danfoss AK-SM and AK-SC controllers. Antoine Hautin, from cybersecurity firm Almond, emphasises that these industrial equipment, long isolated from the internet, are now accessible remotely without always having been designed to resist cyber attacks.
Investigation opened, Prime Minister following the case
The Paris prosecutor's office opened an investigation on Monday, 12 October, assigned to the Anti-Cybercrime Office (OFAC). The investigations aim to identify the victims and assess the extent of the damage, particularly food losses and incidents involving equipment that caught fire. ANSSI is mobilised in France and at the European level. The office of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu indicates that he is personally following the case.
The question of compensation
The question of compensation remains unresolved. Intermarché believes its insurance does not cover this type of incident. Dominique Schelcher, CEO of Coopérative U, describes the attack as "extremely serious" and "unprecedented", targeting equipment essential for food preservation. The Trade and Distribution Federation demands complete transparency from Danfoss and companies responsible for refrigeration installations.
Source: Google News LU FR