Symbolic imageFrench supermarket fridge hack spreads to more refrigeration makers
Hackers overheated refrigeration systems in hundreds of French supermarkets, spoiling tonnes of food. The attackers remain unidentified.
Overnight into Monday, 12 October, hackers took over networked refrigeration controls and raised temperatures to 50C, the Paris prosecutor's office said. Store counts differ: the New York Times reports at least 380 stores, Handelsblatt at least 500. Coopérative U chief Dominique Schelcher told RTL on Tuesday that about 80 of its 2,000 stores were hit and called it an "unprecedented" attack on food security. Paris cybercrime prosecutors and the cybersecurity agency Anssi are investigating, and nobody has claimed responsibility.
Second wave hits Dixell units
Le Monde reports that a supermarket near Bordeaux using Dixell equipment was targeted overnight into Tuesday; staff stopped the attack and discarded no goods. Anssi said Copeland and Dixell fridges were compromised alongside Danfoss systems.
Makers blame outdated firmware
Danfoss says the affected systems no longer receive security updates and run old firmware. Copeland acknowledged a vulnerability in a discontinued controller generation. The FAZ reports incidents in the Netherlands too.