A cyberattack has struck the refrigeration installations of several hundred Intermarché and Coopérative U supermarkets in France, Le Monde.fr reports. The attack, reported on Monday, targeted the cold-storage systems that keep perishable goods at safe temperatures.
Coverage of the incident points to damage across the French grocery sector. BFM described the situation as extremely serious, unprecedented and unacceptable, and reported that the damage could be considerable. Le Parisien reported that freezers overheated and products were destroyed, while Libération said refrigerators reached temperatures of around 50°C in more than 200 French supermarkets. Ouest-France reported from Sarthe that staff had to throw away affected products.
The reports name Leclerc, Intermarché and Super U among the retailers caught up in the attack, though the exact number of stores affected and the full extent of the losses have not been confirmed in the material available. Details of how the attackers gained access to the refrigeration systems have also not been reported.
The incident highlights how connected cooling equipment in retail stores can become an entry point or a target in itself, with consequences that reach beyond data and into physical stock.
What to watch next: whether the retailers or French authorities confirm the scale of the disruption and identify who was behind the attack.
