‘Unprecedented’ cyberattack hits French supermarkets, causing food losses

What the report says

French supermarket chains were hit this week by what Al Jazeera described as an “unprecedented” cyberattack on refrigeration systems, disrupting food preservation equipment in stores across the country. The incident affected major retailers including Intermarche and its Netto brand, Cooperative U, Carrefour, Monoprix and E Leclerc, with reports of hundreds of outlets impacted in France. Some stores saw fridge and freezer temperatures rise sharply, leading to spoiled stock and, in some cases, fires.

According to the report, the Paris prosecutor’s office said the large-scale attack affected connected refrigerators used by several major food retailers. French authorities responded by asking the National Cybersecurity Agency, known as ANSSI, to investigate, while also coordinating with European counterparts to check whether similar systems in other countries were exposed. The article said investigators were examining whether other French companies might also face risk.

Retailers said they were working to restore normal operations and assess damage. Intermarche said the disruption could mean losses running into tens of millions of euros nationwide in a single day, while Cooperative U called the attack extremely serious because it targeted equipment essential to food storage and supply. The report also noted that Danfoss, the company linked to the refrigeration management software, said some affected systems were running outdated firmware and that it had previously urged customers to update equipment. The episode highlights how cyberattacks can move beyond data theft and directly disrupt essential physical infrastructure.