Massive hacking of refrigeration systems in French supermarkets
Cybercriminals have taken remote control of refrigeration installations at hundreds of stores in France, causing temperatures to reach 50 °C, fires and destruction of foodstuffs.
Massive hacking of refrigeration systems in French supermarkets
Computer hackers have conducted a major overnight cyberattack against food distribution chains across France, infiltrating refrigeration equipment to raise temperatures to 50 degrees. Politis reports that the consequences included fires and considerable loss of fresh and frozen stock.
The Paris public prosecutor confirmed a major computer intrusion targeting refrigerated installations at many retail outlets across the country. Given the scale of the incident, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu tasked the National Agency for Information Systems Security (ANSSI) with opening an investigation. His office clarified that Paris is coordinating its response with European partners, as other states could suffer similar attacks.
Several retailers have already quantified the damage. Les Mousquetaires group, owner of Intermarché, indicated that 150 to 200 establishments were affected. For six hours, thermostats remained stuck at 50 °C, forcing management to remove all merchandise kept on shelves as a sanitary measure. The company also mentioned a few fires on site.
Carrefour reported 80 stores impacted by the same modus operandi. Casino group acknowledged that 5 per cent of Monoprix branches suffered problems, whilst approximately 100 units of the Coopératives U network encountered identical difficulties.
A source close to Matignon revealed that investigators identified a flaw in software from Danish company Danfoss, used to control cold storage rooms. The firm admitted to knowing of this malfunction and explained that the most vulnerable devices are older models whose software is no longer kept up to date. It advised customers to migrate to more recent solutions.
Dutch chain Ahold Delhaize also reported a security incident on its network, disabling several computer systems as a precaution. Its mobile application is out of service and its electronic price labels are displaying incorrect data. According to Belgian media, Delhaize supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg may also be affected, although the link with the French offensive has not been formally established.
Source: Politis