Insurance
Home›Insurance›Property Insurance›Danfoss refrigeration hack drove French supermarket ca…
Danfoss refrigeration hack drove French supermarket cases to 50C
Paris prosecutors said the overnight attack, which forced nonstop defrost cycles, spoiled fresh and frozen stock and sparked fires, while Les Mousquetaires reported about six hours of affected cases at roughly 150 stores.
Hackers hijacked refrigeration controls across hundreds of French supermarkets, turning refrigerated cases into heat, with temperatures reportedly reaching as high as 50C (122F) overnight. According to Paris prosecutors cited by Insurance Business, the disrupted systems spoiled fresh and frozen stock and sparked fires.
The attack targeted refrigeration control systems made by Danish engineering group Danfoss. Prosecutors and the outlet reported the attackers did not disable cooling, instead they reportedly altered a routine maintenance setting and locked units into a nonstop defrost cycle.
Les Mousquetaires, owner of the Intermarché chain, said affected cases ran hot for about six hours and that roughly 150 Intermarché stores were hit, with all fresh and frozen product at those locations thrown out. Some French media reports put the total closer to 300 stores when Netto discount stores are included.
Coopérative U said almost 100 of its stores were affected, and BFM TV reported E.Leclerc was also caught up, Insurance Business wrote. The outlet also said Les Mousquetaires’ losses were put in the millions of euros in French press, with store managers describing write-offs ranging from about €50,000 to more than €200,000 per location.