A cyberattack that disabled refrigeration systems at hundreds of French grocery stores has forced retailers to destroy large quantities of temperature-sensitive food, with early estimates placing the financial damage in the tens of millions of euros. The attack affected connected refrigerators at major chains including Carrefour, Monoprix, Les Mousquetaires, E. Leclerc, and Coopérative U, according to French officials and company statements.
The CEO of Coopérative U confirmed the breach in a Monday post on X, stating that the attack had been affecting the cold production facilities of several stores in the network since the previous night. «Our teams are fully mobilized, in coordination with refrigeration specialists, to restore the situation as quickly as possible,» he wrote. «Targeting equipment essential to the preservation of fresh products and to the food supply of the French people is of extreme gravity and is unprecedented. It is unacceptable.»
The Paris prosecutor's office also confirmed the incident, describing it as a «large-scale» attack that affected connected refrigerators at several major food retailers across the country. Carrefour said approximately 80 of its stores were impacted, while Monoprix, which operates 490 locations in France, reported that 5% of its stores were affected. Les Mousquetaires said fridges at roughly 150 of its stores were heated to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) for six hours. A company spokesperson said all affected food had been discarded.
While the full financial toll has yet to be officially calculated, experts estimate losses could exceed 10 million euros, equivalent to roughly $11.2 million. Intermarché CEO Thierry Cotillard said during a televised interview that the attack likely resulted in the loss of «tens of millions of euros nationwide in a single day.»
A source with knowledge of the refrigerator systems told AFP that the hackers targeted control systems from Danish manufacturer Danfoss. The company said most of the affected equipment were «legacy» products that «no longer receive software or security updates.» Danfoss added that some systems were using «outdated firmware» that it had long advised customers to update. The company did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has instructed the National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) to conduct an investigation. ANSSI has already identified «a vulnerability in software supplied by a Danish company and has contacted the vendor,» a source close to Lecornu told AFP.
Christophe Hansen, the European Union's Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, condemned the attack as an affront to European food safety. «I strongly condemn the cyberattack targeting food products at Intermarché, Coopérative U, Leclerc,» he said in a Monday post on X. «Food security requires more attention at all levels. Because the weaponization of food has become a reality.»
The incident highlights growing concerns about the vulnerability of connected infrastructure in the food supply chain. The attack forced supermarkets to discard fresh products, disrupting operations and raising questions about the security of industrial control systems used in retail. Authorities have not yet identified the perpetrators, and the investigation is ongoing.