A sophisticated and unprecedented cyberattack has crippled the refrigeration systems of major French supermarket chains, including E. Leclerc, Intermarche, and Cooperative U. By remotely triggering forced defrosting cycles, hackers caused temperatures to spike across hundreds of locations, forcing retailers to discard massive quantities of spoiled fresh and frozen food. The incident, which reportedly also sparked electrical fires, has raised significant alarms regarding the vulnerability of the nation’s food supply chain.

Investigators have traced the breach to vulnerabilities in legacy software provided by the Danish firm Danfoss. The company confirmed that older, outdated equipment—which no longer receives critical security updates—was the primary target of the infiltration. While French authorities and cybersecurity agencies are working to contain the spread and identify the full extent of the damage, the incident serves as a grim reminder of the risks associated with connecting industrial infrastructure to the internet. As government officials launch a formal investigation, the attack highlights the urgent need for enhanced security measures in the face of increasingly common hybrid warfare tactics targeting civilian infrastructure.