Tech Desk: A devastating cyberattack has rocked hundreds of French supermarkets, turning connected refrigerators into ovens and spoiling frozen food worth millions of euros. This unprecedented incident saw fridge temperatures soar to 50 degrees Celsius for hours, leading to widespread food spoilage and even causing fires in some locations. Major retailers like Intermarché, Carrefour, and Monoprix confirmed significant disruptions, with one chain alone reporting 150 affected stores and tens of millions in losses.

The Paris prosecutor’s office has launched a large-scale investigation into the attack, which experts are calling a new level of cyber sabotage. The hackers remotely triggered forced defrosting cycles, effectively cooking frozen goods and rendering them unfit for consumption. The rapid response from store staff was crucial, with many seen discarding entire carts of defrosted products.

The vulnerability has been traced to outdated firmware in refrigeration management systems supplied by Danish company Danfoss. While Danfoss acknowledges the issue and advises customers to update their systems, the incident highlights a critical weakness in the interconnected infrastructure of modern retail. This French supermarket cyberattack serves as a stark warning to industries relying on smart, networked systems about the escalating threat of sophisticated cyber threats.