Cyberattack Disrupts Cooling Systems at Over 150 French Supermarkets

Coopérative U leadership confirmed that a cyberattack has targeted production cooling installations in several stores across its network since the previous night. The cooperative said its teams are working at full capacity alongside refrigeration technicians to restore normal operations as quickly as possible. An investigation is needed to uncover the full truth behind the attack, the leadership added.

Initial reports indicate the breach vector centers on Danfoss central refrigeration supervisory controllers. Technicians frequently manage these units remotely over web servers through browser-accessible interfaces. Disruption to industrial temperature controls jeopardizes cold storage, risking spoilage of fresh inventory across major chains.

While Coopérative U stores are heavily impacted, the outage has spread across multiple major supermarket chains that use similar connected cooling infrastructure, according to the report. The cooperative's leadership condemned the attack on equipment essential for preserving fresh produce and securing the food supply for French citizens. They described the targeting of such essential equipment as a severe and unprecedented act that cannot be tolerated.

On-site refrigeration technicians and cybersecurity teams are currently attempting to isolate compromised management interfaces and manually stabilize store cooling units. The situation remains volatile as authorities and cyber response units investigate whether the incident stems from exploited web-interface vulnerabilities or unauthorized remote access credentials.

The attack underscores the vulnerability of connected industrial systems that underpin the food supply chain. Updates are expected as technical teams work to secure the cold chain and restore normal operations.