A cyberattack hit refrigeration systems in more than 400 supermarkets in France this week, according to several major food retailers.
Some 300 shops from the Intermarché and Netto chains were affected, as well as 80 from Coopérative U and 30 from Monoprix. The attack targeted systems made by three refrigeration companies that remotely control refrigerators, according to France’s National Cybersecurity Agency.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack and prosecutors said they had yet to identify the culprits.
In some shops, the attack forced workers to throw out food that required refrigerating, according to shop staff and photographs from several supermarkets. In other cases, technicians acted fast enough to prevent damage to the products, according to the head of Coopérative U, Dominique Schelcher.
Mr. Schelcher said in a broadcast interview on Tuesday that the attack was “unprecedented,” as well as “unexpected” and “extremely serious.”
“They’re attacking the French people’s food supply,” he told RTL radio. “In my entire professional career, I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Though Mr. Schelcher declined to estimate losses at this stage, he said that a failing refrigeration system could cost a small supermarket the equivalent of tens of thousands of dollars. For a hypermarket, losses could reach roughly $220,000, he said.
Julien Fréret, a supermarket manager in a small town in northern France, told Reuters on Monday that the shop had suffered a “total loss of fresh and frozen” products.
“We never thought we’d see this in our rural setting,” he said, adding: “Don’t bother going to our shop today because we have to put it all in the rubbish.”
Kirsten Tate, a spokeswoman for Danfoss, one of the companies that makes the affected refrigeration systems, said in an email that a “limited number” of refrigeration management systems had been affected — often outdated ones that no longer received software or security updates.
“Danfoss has long advised customers to keep supported systems updated with the latest firmware,” she said, adding that the company was “in close contact with affected customers to support them in addressing the situation.”
The Paris prosecutor’s office said this week that its cybercrime division was working to “identify the victims and establish a link between the attack and the damage reported in terms of food spoilage and fires.”
- Credits: The New York Times
- Author: Ségolène Le Stradic
- Photo: Fred Tanneau/Agence France-Presse
