Hackers forced refrigeration systems at hundreds of French supermarkets — including Carrefour, Intermarché, and Coopérative U — to overheat to 122°F overnight, spoiling food and drawing condemnation from EU officials over the "weaponization of food."
Hackers struck the refrigeration systems of hundreds of French supermarkets overnight, causing freezers and fridges to heat up to 50 degrees Celsius — 122 degrees Fahrenheit — spoiling food and triggering smoke incidents across multiple chains and several European countries.
The affected retailers include Carrefour, Monoprix, Intermarché — owned by Les Mousquetaires — and Coopérative U, among others. The cyberattack also spread beyond France, with senior cyber threat intelligence analyst Felix Aime of Sekoia Threat Detection and Research noting that Spain, Portugal, Poland, Germany, and Belgium were among the affected countries.
Coopérative U CEO Dominique Schelcher confirmed the attacks had hit "refrigeration production facilities of several stores." He called the incident both severe and without precedent. "Attacking equipment that is essential to the preservation of fresh products and the food supply of the French people is extremely serious and unprecedented. It is unacceptable," Schelcher said in a LinkedIn post.
Les Mousquetaires, the parent company of Intermarché and discount chain Netto, said the attack affected approximately 180 of its stores and that damages were expected to reach "several million euros in losses." The company said the cyberattack compromised a third-party service provider responsible for managing refrigeration systems inside its stores.
"In some stores, the overheating of equipment resulted in smoke, but no fires have been reported," a Les Mousquetaires spokesperson said. The company added that Intermarché and Netto moved to remove and dispose of affected products to protect consumer safety, and that it is now awaiting assessments from a court-appointed bailiff and insurance experts to determine more precise damage figures.
Ahold Delhaize, the Stop & Shop parent that also owns Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn, separately disclosed a "security issue within its network," saying it had taken certain systems offline while its stores remained open.
The attack drew a sharp response from European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen. "I strongly condemn the cyberattack targeting food products at @intermarche @CooperativeU @Leclerc," Hansen wrote on X. "Food security requires more attention at all levels. Because the weaponization of food has become a reality."
The incident arrives amid a broader surge in cyberattacks that security experts say is being accelerated by artificial intelligence. Interpol's global chief information security officer, Bjorn R. Watn, recently told reporters that AI can be used to target multiple victims simultaneously, amplifying both the scale and speed of attacks. "It's an evolution and not a revolution," Watn said.
Other recent incidents include a cybersecurity breach at British online fashion retailer Asos, which exposed some customers' personal information, and a four-day shutdown of a small U.K. power plant in July following an attack suspected to be linked to Iran.
The supermarket attack marks a notable escalation in the targeting of physical infrastructure through cyber means — moving beyond data theft or service disruption into territory that directly threatens food safety and public health. How swiftly affected chains can restore refrigeration capacity, and whether investigators can attribute the attack to a specific threat actor, will be among the most closely watched developments in the days ahead.
Marc Sabatini is a staff writer at TechEchelon covering enterprise software, cybersecurity, and the regulatory beats that shape both. He focuses on the deal flow and policy decisions that move markets.
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