Cyberattack hits French supermarkets, spoiling food

AI-generated briefing · First published 2026-10-13 03:55:29 UTC

Hackers remotely defrosted fridges at hundreds of stores, forcing chains to discard fresh and frozen goods.

A large-scale cyberattack overnight Sunday-Monday remotely triggered forced defrosting of refrigeration systems at Intermarche, Cooperative U, E. Leclerc, Carrefour and Monoprix stores across France, causing temperatures to rise as high as 50 °C for several hours and forcing retailers to discard fresh and frozen stock. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Paris prosecutors opened an investigation into the attack, which also caused fires at some outlets. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu ordered France’s cybersecurity agency ANSSI to investigate and to liaise with European counterparts after similar issues were reported in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. [1] [3] [4]

Sources

1. Cyberattack shuts down French supermarket refrigerators

   France 24 English · 2026-10-12 11:53:41 UTC · Full text

2. 法国数百家超市遭遇网络攻击 制冷系统遭破坏

   RFI Chinese · 2026-10-12 13:55:01 UTC · Full text

3. Hundreds of French supermarkets hit by a cyberattack that defrosted refrigeration systems

   DW English · 2026-10-12 18:15:00 UTC · Full text

4. ‘Unprecedented’ cyberattack hits French supermarkets, causing food losses

   Al Jazeera · 2026-10-13 02:37:10 UTC · Full text

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