Hundreds of French supermarkets were hit by a cyberattack that caused their fridges and freezers to heat up, spoiling fresh and frozen food estimated to be worth millions of euros.
Hackers gained control of the software that regulates the temperatures of the refrigeration units, forcing some to warm to 50C (120F) overnight. Coopérative U chief executive Dominique Schelcher said staff were "fully mobilised, in co-ordination with refrigeration specialists, to restore the situation as quickly as possible."
Danfoss said the affected cold units were older models whose security software could not be updated to ward off a risk it had identified.
The Paris prosecutor's office opened a specific cyber-crime investigation into the incident, which the Paris prosecutor's office called a "large-scale cyber-attack affecting the refrigerators of several major food retail chains across France."
Several Dutch supermarket distribution centers came to a standstill Monday due to an online security incident, according to broadcaster NOS.
ReplyDeleteThe Albert Heijn supermarket chain said operations at several of its distribution centers came to a standstill after systems were shut down “preventively,” CEO Margaret Versteden-van Duijn said.
The chain does not know how long the disruption will last, but Versteden-van Duijn told NOS that shelves could empty “if it lasts any longer.”
“That will vary from store to store. That depends on a great many factors,” she noted.
The firm could not yet confirm whether malicious actors had infiltrated the company’s IT systems.
Major French supermarket chains were hit by a cyberattack Monday targeting refrigeration control systems made by a Danish manufacturer, according to broadcaster BFMTV.
ReplyDeleteAround 300 Intermarche and Netto stores, as well as fewer than 100 U stores, were affected by the attack.
Hackers reportedly altered installation temperatures remotely, destroying stocks of fresh and frozen products.
In Alsace, two Intermarche and Super U supermarkets alone reported losses of €270,000 ($301,000). Nationwide, the total cost is expected to reach several million euros.