A cyberattack is reported to be targeting the refrigeration regulation systems of Danish manufacturer Danfoss, causing malfunctions at the installations of several French supermarkets, according to ICI Loire Océan. The chains concerned have been noting dysfunctions in their fresh and frozen food aisles since Monday, 12 October.
According to figures given to BFMTV, 300 Intermarché and Netto stores were affected by the incident. At Coopérative U, fewer than a hundred stores are said to be affected. According to BFM Business, the hackers are said to have hijacked the defrosting function of the installations by remotely imposing a temperature setting of 50 degrees.
Uneven damage depending on the store
The Leclerc Atlantis centre, located in Saint-Herblain, near Nantes, is among the establishments affected. Several U stores are also concerned, notably the Hyper U in Vallet, in the Vignoble nantais, and the Super U in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, where only the frozen food aisle was affected. An Intermarché store located in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire also suffered the consequences of the attack.
The affected establishments must empty their refrigeration equipment, have the damage recorded by a court bailiff and dispose of goods that have become unfit for sale. In some stores, fresh and frozen products had to be thrown away entirely. The Leclerc in Saint-Brevin-les-Pins states that « beaucoup de choses sont à jeter » and specifies that its fresh produce aisle will not be able to reopen normally before this Tuesday, 13 October.
A cost that could run into millions of euros
According to an industry source cited by BFM Business, the losses linked to the cyberattack could reach several million euros nationwide.
The Hyper U in Vallet was thus due to be restocked from Monday afternoon, according to ICI Loire Océan.
