What to know about the cyberattack that targeted supermarket refrigeration systems in France

Key Points:

• A cyberattack targeted refrigeration systems in around 700 grocery stores across France, causing defrost cycles that spoiled large quantities of fresh and frozen food and led to water damage and some fires.
• Hackers accessed controllers from at least three companies, including Danfoss, Copeland, and Dixell, exploiting outdated software and vulnerabilities in devices exposed on the public internet, with no ransom demands made so far.
• French authorities, including the national cyber agency ANSSI and the Paris prosecutors’ office, have launched an investigation to identify victims and link the attacks to reported damages.
• The attack affected major supermarket chains such as Carrefour, Monoprix, Les Mousquetaires, and Coopérative U, with reports that similar incidents occurred in other European countries including Spain, Portugal, Poland, Germany, and Belgium.
• Officials have called for improved cybersecurity measures in food distribution, emphasizing the need to keep critical infrastructure off public networks and warning of the growing threat of cyberattacks targeting essential services.