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The cyber attack on Sunday night targeted refrigeration control systems from Danish manufacturer Danfoss in stores across several major French retail chains, according to reports from Bloomberg and French outlets including BFMTV and Libération. A spokesman for Groupement Mousquetaires told Bloomberg around 150 Intermarché stores were affected as hackers activated continuous defrost cycles, sending temperatures in fridges and freezers to 50C for roughly six hours. Meat, frozen products and vegetables had to be thrown out to avoid any health risks, the spokesman added.[[1]](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-12/french-supermarket-refrigeration-sites-hit-by-cyberattacks)
Coopérative U chief executive Dominique Schelcher confirmed the breach on X, calling it extremely serious and unprecedented. “Attacking equipment essential to the preservation of fresh products and the food supply to the French is of extreme gravity and is unprecedented. It is unacceptable,” Schelcher stated. The cooperative reported fewer than 100 of its supermarkets were hit while BFMTV placed the combined total of affected Intermarché, Netto and U stores at around 400.[[2]](https://cybernews.com/security/danfoss-refrigeration-hack-france-supermarkets/)
Losses from the incident could run into several million euros nationwide, a source close to the matter told France Inter, with two supermarkets in the Alsace region alone reporting damages of 270,000 euros. Intermarché instructed staff to document the spoilage with bailiff statements before disposing of all affected stock, according to multiple French media accounts. Some employees described opening units to waves of hot air on Monday morning.[[3]](https://www.franceinfo.fr/internet/securite-sur-internet/cyberattaques/des-magasins-systeme-u-et-intermarche-touches-par-une-cyberattaque-contre-leurs-installations-frigorifiques_8233720.html)
The Paris prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into the event, which it described as a large-scale cyber attack on refrigerators belonging to several leading food retailers. European Food Commissioner Christophe Hansen condemned the incident on X, noting that food security requires more attention at all levels because the weaponisation of food has become a reality. French authorities have not yet identified those responsible.[[4]](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crq5nzxv9q4yo)
Cybernews reported that the hackers exploited older versions of the Danfoss controller software by forcing its automatic defrost feature, normally restricted to brief daily periods, to run nonstop. The attack began in the early hours of October 12 and affected systems used widely in the French retail sector for temperature regulation. Danfoss had not commented publicly on the breach by Monday afternoon.[[2]](https://cybernews.com/security/danfoss-refrigeration-hack-france-supermarkets/)
Similar Danfoss refrigeration controllers operate in supermarkets across Europe, prompting concerns that other countries could face comparable disruptions, according to Libération. Retail groups said their teams were coordinating with refrigeration specialists to restore normal operations as quickly as possible and to evaluate the complete financial impact. The event underscores vulnerabilities in operational technology supporting the food supply chain.
