French retailers face 10 million euros in losses after cyberattack heats refrigerators

A cyberattack targeting connected refrigerators in France forced major grocery chains to discard significant quantities of temperature-sensitive food, resulting in estimated losses of at least 10 million euros for one retailer. The incident affected stores across at least five chain brands, including Carrefour, Monoprix, Les Mousquetaires, E. Leclerc and Coopérative U, after hackers manipulated heating systems in hundreds of locations.

The CEO of Coopérative U, a retail group structured as a cooperative of independently owned businesses, confirmed the breach in a Monday post on X. He stated that the attack had been affecting the cold production facilities of several stores in the network since the previous night. The executive described the targeting of equipment essential to the preservation of fresh products and the food supply as unprecedented and unacceptable. His company's teams are mobilized with refrigeration specialists to restore operations, though an investigation is required to fully understand the scope of the attack.

The Paris prosecutor's office characterized the incident as a large-scale attack affecting connected refrigerators in several major food retailers across France. Specific figures on the extent of the damage vary by chain. Carrefour reported that approximately 80 of its stores were affected. Monoprix, which operates 490 stores in France according to Reuters, said 5% of its locations were impacted. Les Mousquetaires disclosed that fridges at approximately 150 of its stores were heated up to 50 degrees Celsius for six hours. A spokesperson for Les Mousquetaires confirmed that all affected food had been discarded.

Financial consequences remain a focus as officials assess the damage. While an official tabulation of the total toll is pending, experts estimated losses for Les Mousquetaires alone to be upwards of 10 million euros, equivalent to roughly $11.2 million. Thierry Cotillard, CEO of Intermarche, told Reuters during a televised interview that the attack likely resulted in the loss of tens of millions of euros nationwide in a single day.

Investigators have identified the specific technology targeted in the breach. A source with knowledge of the systems told AFP that hackers targeted refrigerator control systems from Danish manufacturer Danfoss. Danfoss informed AFP that most of the affected equipment were legacy products that no longer receive software or security updates. The company also noted that some affected systems were using outdated firmware, which it had previously advised purchasers to update. Danfoss did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.

French authorities have launched an official response to the incident. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu instructed France's National Cyber security Agency, ANSSI, to conduct an investigation. A source close to Lecornu told AFP that ANSSI identified a vulnerability in software supplied by a Danish company and has contacted the vendor.

European officials have reacted with strong condemnation. Christophe Hansen, the European Union's Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, posted on X that he strongly condemned the cyberattack targeting food products at Intermarche, Cooperative U and Leclerc. Hansen stated that food security requires more attention at all levels because the weaponization of food has become a reality.