Sawt Falasteen - French supermarkets suffer refrigerator shutdown after 'unprecedented' cyberattack

Top retailers E. Leclerc, Intermarche and Cooperative U confirmed to AFP they had been hit by the cyberattack that Cooperative U's chief executive described as "unprecedented".

"Food security requires more attention at all levels," said the EU's food and agriculture commissioner Christophe Hansen on X, condemning the attack and saying such "exploitation of food" was now a "reality".

At least 300 shops of Intermarche or its Netto brand were targeted, along with over 100 Cooperative U outlets, and several E. Leclerc stores, the retailers told AFP in separate statements.

Paris prosecutors confirmed the attack, which reportedly also hit other major chains, and also indicated it had sparked fires.

BFM TV said hackers "managed to remotely trigger the forced defrosting of the refrigeration systems in numerous stores".

Those branches that were affected will have to "throw away all of the products" that are fresh and frozen, Intermarche told AFP.

Specialist French retail sector news website jebosseengrandedistribution.fr said other retail giants Carrefour Market and Monoprix were affected but the companies have yet to confirm this.

E. Leclerc confirmed to AFP "that a cyberattack affected one of its refrigeration equipment suppliers," resulting in "repercussions on the operation of refrigeration systems in several stores".

According to a source close to the issue, the refrigeration control systems from Danish manufacturer Danfoss were targeted.

- 'Unprecedented' -

A person close to French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said France's cyber security agency had already identified "a vulnerability in software supplied by a Danish company and has contacted the vendor".

"It is liaising with its European counterparts, as other countries may be affected," and is seeking "to identify other French companies involved in order to alert them" and "prevent the spread", the source added.

The chief executive of Cooperative U, Dominique Schelcher, described the attack as "unprecedented" and confirmed the cyberattack had affected refrigeration systems since Sunday night.

"Targeting equipment essential to the preservation of fresh products and to the food supply of the French people is extremely serious and is unprecedented. It is unacceptable," he wrote on X.

He added that the company's teams are "fully mobilised" to restore the situation as quickly as possible.

"An investigation will be necessary to shed full light on this attack," he added.

The office of the Paris prosecutor confirmed to AFP that an investigation has been opened into "the large-scale cyberattack affecting the refrigerators of several major food retail chains across France".

The probe will help "identify the victims and establish the link with the damage they reported in terms of foodstuff losses and the outbreak of fires", the prosecutor's office said.

Intermarche condemned the food waste and financial losses resulting from the attack, without providing figures.

BFM TV said temperatures were "altered remotely, resulting in the destruction of stocks of fresh and frozen products".

- 'A level of sophistication' -

The incident comes against the background of growing concern over the potential havoc that can be caused in Europe in all sectors by malicious actors carrying out cyberattacks.

President Emmanuel Macron, a strong supporter of Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion, last month ordered measures to protect France's critical infrastructure from Russian "hybrid attacks".

Industrial equipment such as refrigeration units, long isolated from the internet, are now connected via sensors or remote monitoring systems, Antoine Hautin of cybersecurity consultancy Almond told AFP.

By likely affecting hundreds of units simultaneously, the attack demonstrated "a certain level of sophistication," he added.

ac-mk-max-fbe-sjw/ekf/rl

T.Khatib--SF-PST