Hackers turn up the heat in refrigerators at hundreds of supermarkets in France, sparking fires and food losses

October 12, 2026 / 1:45 PM EDT / CBS/AFP

Major French supermarket chains on Monday said they were hit by a cyberattack that caused their refrigerators to shoot up in temperature in hundreds of stores, forcing spoiled food to be thrown away and raising concerns about food security.

Top retailers E. Leclerc, Intermarché and Cooperative U confirmed to AFP they suffered a cyberattack that Cooperative U's chief executive described as "unprecedented."

"Food security requires more attention at all levels," said the EU's food and agriculture commissioner Christophe Hansen on X, condemning the attack and saying such "exploitation of food" was now a "reality."

At least 300 shops of Intermarché or its Netto brand were targeted, along with over 100 Cooperative U outlets, and several E. Leclerc stores, the retailers told AFP in separate statements.

"Targeting equipment essential to the preservation of fresh products and to the food supply of the French people is of extreme gravity and is unprecedented," Cooperative U CEO Dominique Schelcher wrote on X.

Paris prosecutors confirmed the attack, which reportedly also hit other major chains, and also indicated it had sparked fires.

BFM TV said hackers "managed to remotely trigger the forced defrosting of the refrigeration…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/