A recent cyberattack in France forced numerous grocery stores to dispose of vast amounts of perishable goods. Hackers targeted refrigeration systems in hundreds of stores across at least five supermarket chains, causing temperatures to rise and making the food unsuitable for sale.
The affected supermarket chains include Carrefour, Monoprix, Les Mousquetaires, E. Leclerc, and Coopérative U. According to Coopérative U’s CEO, the attack compromised the cold storage facilities of several stores within the network. This incident has led to significant food loss and potential disruption of the food supply chain in France.
The Paris prosecutor’s office described the attack as large-scale, affecting connected refrigerators in several major food retailers. Carrefour reported that about 80 of its stores were impacted. Monoprix indicated 5% of its 490 stores faced issues.
Les Mousquetaires revealed that the temperature in fridges at approximately 150 stores reached up to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) for six hours, necessitating the discard of all affected food items. Preliminary estimates suggest the financial impact on the supermarkets could exceed 10 million euros, or roughly $11.2 million.
Investigation into the source of this attack identified that hackers targeted refrigerator control systems manufactured by the Danish company Danfoss. These systems reportedly used outdated firmware without recent software or security updates, which increased their vulnerability.
France’s National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) is investigating the incident. They have pinpointed a software vulnerability and are working with the vendor to address it. Meanwhile, Christophe Hansen, the European Union’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, condemned the attack as a threat to European food safety, emphasizing the importance of food security.