Overnight between October 11 and 12, 2026, a widespread cyberattack targeted refrigeration systems in hundreds of French supermarkets. Hackers remotely manipulated temperature settings to trigger defrost cycles, causing food spoilage and potential safety risks.
Targeted Retail Chains and Reported Damage
The coordinated attack hit several of France’s largest grocery retailers. Reports indicate that approximately 150 to 200 branches of the Intermarché chain and nearly 100 branches of the Coopérative U network were affected by the breach. Other major retail groups also sustained damage, including Carrefour, which saw a smaller number of its locations impacted, alongside stores from chains such as Netto, Monoprix, and E.Leclerc. While the full scale of the financial impact is still being calculated, initial estimates from industry officials suggest losses could reach millions of euros, with some reports citing potential damages in the tens of millions nationwide.
The incident has raised concerns among retailers, with some noting that their insurance policies may not cover losses stemming from such cyberattacks.
Technical Exploitation of Danfoss Control Systems
Investigators are focusing on the manipulation of refrigeration control systems manufactured by the Danish firm Danfoss. In some instances, this caused internal temperatures to spike to 50 degrees Celsius for approximately six hours, rendering fresh and frozen goods unfit for sale.
After 25 years in this field, having my refrigerators hacked was the last thing I could imagine,
Sophie Ma, an Intermarché store owner in Haguenau, said.
Danfoss has responded by stating they take such incidents seriously, noting that many of the affected units were legacy systems. A point of contention remains regarding the responsibility for maintaining these systems and installing necessary security updates.
Industry Leaders Condemn Attacks on Critical Food Supply Infrastructure
Dominique Schelcher, the President of Coopérative U, described the incident as extremely dangerous and unprecedented.
Dominique Schelcher warned that targeting equipment used to preserve fresh products directly impacts the food supply for the French population. Thierry Cotillard, president of the Les Mousquetaires group, also emphasized the severity of the economic impact. As of October 13, 2026, authorities have not announced any official conclusions regarding the identity of the perpetrators, though the event has intensified anxiety regarding the security of critical infrastructure. Officials are also examining whether the risks could extend to other European countries where similar systems are deployed.
