Hackers raised refrigerator and freezer temperatures across hundreds of French supermarkets overnight Sunday, spoiling fresh and frozen food on a scale French retailers are calling unprecedented. The Paris prosecutor's office opened an investigation Monday. France's national cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, confirmed to Time Magazine it is investigating at both national and European levels.
The attack exploited internet-connected refrigeration control systems made by Danish manufacturer Danfoss. According to an ANSSI alert cited by Time Magazine, the targeted product series were the AK-SC and AK-SM lines. AFP reported the specific models as the AK-SM800 and AK-SC355. Danfoss told both Time Magazine and AFP that the affected units were running outdated firmware on legacy products that "no longer receive software or security updates," and said it had long advised customers to migrate to current-generation systems. French broadcaster BFM-TV, which first reported the attack, said hackers remotely triggered forced defrost cycles, pushing temperatures to 50°C (122°F). Le Monde reported that in some freezers and cold-storage rooms, the defrost cycle was extended from one hour to eight hours specifically to delay alarms.
At least 300 Intermarché and Netto stores were affected, along with more than 100 Cooperative U outlets and several E. Leclerc stores, the retailers told AFP separately. Les Mousquetaires, the parent group behind Intermarché and Netto, told Time Magazine that losses could amount to several million euros. Intermarché told AFP that affected branches would have to discard all fresh and frozen products. Specialist retail news site jebosseengrandedistribution.fr reported that Carrefour Market and Monoprix were also hit; neither company had confirmed this as of publication. Paris prosecutors confirmed the attack had also sparked fires, AFP reported. The French government said Monday that exposing refrigeration management interfaces directly to the internet is "contrary to best practices" and that remote administration should be restricted to trusted IP addresses, according to Time Magazine. A source close to French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu told AFP that ANSSI had already identified a software vulnerability, contacted Danfoss, and was liaising with European counterparts over the possibility that other countries may be affected.
EU Food and Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen condemned the attack on X, stating that "food security requires more attention at all levels, because the exploitation of food has become a reality," as reported by both AFP and Time Magazine. Cooperative U CEO Dominique Schelcher called it "unprecedented" and "unacceptable," writing on X that targeting equipment essential to fresh food preservation and "the food supply of the French people is of extreme gravity." ANSSI told Time Magazine it is coordinating with European counterparts, with a source close to the French prime minister telling AFP that authorities are working to identify other French companies at risk and "prevent the spread."
Affected branches face discarding all fresh and frozen stock. ANSSI said it is working to identify other French companies at risk and coordinate with European counterparts on the possibility that the attack has spread beyond France.