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What We Know About the Cyberattack on French Supermarket Refrigeration Systems
Overnight on October 11–12, 2026, attackers remotely altered refrigeration controls at hundreds of French supermarkets; some units reportedly reached 50°C (122°F), spoiling food. CERT FR reported compromises involving Danfoss AK SM and AK SC controllers, as well as Copeland and Dixell systems.
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Key takeaways
- Overnight on October 11–12, 2026, attackers remotely altered refrigeration controls at hundreds of French supermarkets; some units reportedly reached 50°C (122°F), spoiling food.
- CERT FR reported compromises involving Danfoss AK SM and AK SC controllers, as well as Copeland and Dixell systems.
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openai.comCreate a landscape editorial hero image for this Studio Global article: What is known about the cyberattack that began on the night of October 11 against supermarket refrigeration systems in France, including ANS. Article summary: The attack overnight on October 11–12, 2026 remotely manipulated refrigeration controls at hundreds of French supermarkets, overheating refrigerators, freezers and cold-storage rooms and forcing retailers to discard food. Topic tags: general, news, general web, user generated. Style: premium digital editorial illustration, source-backed research mood, clean composition, high detail, modern web publication hero. Use reference image context only for broad subject, composition, and topical grounding; do not copy the exact image. Avoid: logos, brand marks, copyrighted characters, real person likenesses, fake screenshots, UI text, readable text, watermarks, charts w
Overnight on October 11–12, 2026, cyberattackers remotely altered refrigeration controls at supermarkets across France. Refrigerators and freezers overheated, food was discarded, and fires were reported. The affected equipment included systems from Danfoss, Copeland and Dixell, according to French cybersecurity authorities. The attackers’ identity and precise entry method remain unknown. 1
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What happened to the refrigeration systems?
The attack targeted remote controllers used to manage commercial refrigeration. Reporting says attackers forced equipment into defrost mode or otherwise overrode temperature settings; some units reached as high as 50°C (122°F). The resulting heat spoiled fresh and frozen food. 2
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Fires were also reported. An account citing Paris investigators said the temperature manipulation may have sparked them, so the link should not be treated as confirmed for every reported fire. 18
The available reporting does not establish exactly how the attackers accessed the controllers or how alarm behavior varied across stores. The Paris prosecutor’s office opened an investigation on October 12. 18
Which equipment was affected?
CERT-FR’s October 12 alert reported numerous compromises involving Danfoss AK-SM and AK-SC refrigeration controllers. Its alert also named Copeland xweb and Dixell xweb systems.
Danfoss said affected equipment included older devices that no longer received security updates, as well as devices running outdated firmware. Reporting identified the AK-SM 800 as end-of-life since May 2021 and the AK-SC 355 as phased out in 2016; some AK-SM 800A units were also reported affected while running outdated firmware. 6
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Claroty researchers had reported vulnerabilities in the AK-SM 800A web-management interface, and reporting says Danfoss provided firmware addressing those issues in August 2025. That prior research does not establish that the vulnerabilities were used in this incident. 6
What CERT-FR advised operators to do
CERT-FR’s guidance focused on limiting access to the controllers and checking their settings. It advised operators to remove internet exposure from affected devices, review configurations—including defrost schedules—and restore remote access only through a VPN or protected network.
Those precautions address the risk of exposed management systems, but the alert does not identify a confirmed entry method for this attack. Nor does the available evidence show that every compromised device was reached in the same way. 1
How many stores were affected?
Published counts varied as retailers and authorities assessed the damage. Reuters reported at least 350 supermarkets were caught up in the attack, while France’s finance minister later gave an estimate of about 700 affected supermarkets. These figures differ, and the reporting provided here does not reconcile their scope or counting methods. 1
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Retailer-specific reports also used different estimates. AFP reported at least 300 Intermarché and Netto stores and more than 100 Coopérative U outlets; Carrefour said 80 stores were affected. Le Monde reported around 30 Monoprix stores and several E.Leclerc locations. These are reported figures, not a final audited count. 24
Retailers reported substantial food losses. Les Mousquetaires, which operates Intermarché and Netto, said damage could amount to several million euros, but the available reports do not provide a final, independently verified total for the incident. 18
What is still unknown?
No group had publicly claimed responsibility by October 13, and investigators had not established the attackers’ identity or exact route into the refrigeration systems. The incident shows how remote access to operational equipment can have physical consequences, but the available reporting does not establish a nationwide failure of France’s food supply. 1
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Reports also described cyberattacks affecting retailers in other European countries. They do not establish that every incident involved the same refrigeration attack, so the French supermarket case should be distinguished from the wider set of reported events. 20
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Overnight on October 11–12, 2026, attackers remotely altered refrigeration controls at hundreds of French supermarkets; some units reportedly reached 50°C (122°F), spoiling food.
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Overnight on October 11–12, 2026, attackers remotely altered refrigeration controls at hundreds of French supermarkets; some units reportedly reached 50°C (122°F), spoiling food. CERT FR reported compromises involving Danfoss AK SM and AK SC controllers, as well as Copeland and Dixell systems.
Sources
reuters.comInvestigators hunt French supermarket fridge hackers, no ...
flawfence.comDanfoss cyberattack: supermarket refrigeration controllers hijacked
gulfnews.comHackers raise supermarket fridge temperatures to 50°C in massive ...