A cyberattack on French supermarket chain Intermarché disrupted refrigeration and freezing systems at around 150 stores, causing food spoilage and fires in some equipment after hackers allegedly manipulated temperatures remotely, Reuters reported.
Les Mousquetaires, Intermarché's parent group, said the attack targeted the digital systems controlling store refrigeration units. Some refrigerators and freezers reportedly reached temperatures of up to 50°C (122°F) and remained at those levels for around six hours overnight.
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The temperature surge caused large quantities of fresh and frozen food to spoil, forcing affected stores to discard inventory to prevent potential health risks. While total losses across the industry remain unclear, Intermarché CEO Thierry Cotillard told BFM TV that this "unprecedented" attack could cost tens of millions of euros nationwide in just one day.
Some locations also reported fires linked to overheating equipment, highlighting the potential physical consequences of cyberattacks on supermarket infrastructure.
The incident has raised concerns about the vulnerability of connected retail equipment and the growing risks posed by attacks on operational technology (OT) systems.
Intermarché was among several major retailers affected by a broader wave of cyberattacks targeting supermarket systems in France. Carrefour reportedly experienced disruptions at 80 supermarkets, while Monoprix said approximately 5% of its nearly 490 French stores were affected. Coopérative U also confirmed that its supermarket group had been targeted.
Intermarché's chief executive estimated that the financial losses across the French retail sector could reach tens of millions of euros, reflecting the cost of discarded food, damaged equipment and operational disruption.
France's National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) and the Paris prosecutor's office are investigating the incident. Initial concerns have focused on outdated firmware in refrigeration management systems supplied by Danish engineering company Danfoss.
Danfoss acknowledged incidents involving a limited number of refrigeration management systems and said the affected units were running outdated firmware. Investigators are examining the circumstances of the attacks and the potential security weaknesses that may have enabled the disruption.
Separately, Dutch retail group Ahold Delhaize reported a network security incident in the Netherlands. However, no connection between that incident and the attacks on French supermarkets had been established, reported Reuters.
The attacks underscore how vulnerabilities in remotely connected equipment can extend beyond data theft and digital disruption to affect physical operations, food safety and business continuity. Cybersecurity specialists warn that outdated software, inadequate access controls and insufficient protection for connected industrial systems can expose essential retail infrastructure to serious risks.
The incident is expected to intensify scrutiny of cybersecurity standards across the retail sector, particularly the protection of refrigeration controls and other systems essential to supermarket operations.
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