Hackers Defrost Refrigerators at Hundreds of French Supermarkets, Bloomberg Says
Attackers set the cooling systems at Intermarché and Super U stores to defrost overnight, forcing them to discard fresh food.
October 12, 2026 - 2:20 pm
Hackers breached the refrigeration systems of hundreds of French supermarkets on Sunday night, leading stores to discard meat, frozen goods, and vegetables. Approximately 150 Intermarché stores were affected, as stated by a spokesperson for owner Groupement Mousquetaires, who spoke to Bloomberg.
The attackers manipulated the systems to defrost the fridges and freezers, heating them to 50°C for roughly six hours, according to the spokesperson.
Super U and Leclerc were also targeted, with Coopérative U experiencing a similar incident, as noted by their CEO on X. Fewer than 100 of Coopérative U's stores were impacted, according to AFP. Some Leclerc stores were also hit, according to BFM broadcasts.
Mousquetaires attributed the vulnerability to Danfoss, the Danish refrigeration group, which manages the systems. They suggested that the supplier should file a complaint with the authorities.
In August, Team82 researchers at Claroty flagged vulnerabilities in Danfoss controllers used in supermarkets and cold stores. These included a hidden login based on a daily code, granting an attacker administrative access. Team82 reported that Danfoss had released a firmware fix and identified thousands of the controllers exposed to the internet.
It remains unclear if the identified flaws were exploited in the recent attack. Neither the retailers nor Danfoss have disclosed the method of entry.
This incident adds to a series of attacks that halt operations rather than steal data. Notable examples include the JLR hack and the Boston Scientific breach, both of which disrupted physical production and shipping.