Cyberattack Disrupts French Supermarket Refrigeration

A cyberattack disrupted refrigeration systems at French supermarket stores, prompting retailers to discard food and prosecutors to open an investigation into reported losses and fires. Intermarché said about 150 of its stores were targeted. Dominique Schelcher, chief executive of Coopérative U, said fewer than 100 stores in its network were affected. The total number of locations and retail chains involved has not been confirmed. The attack affected equipment used to keep fresh and frozen goods cold. Intermarché said affected stores would have to throw away those products and warned that insurance policies might not cover the in-store incident. The retailer did not provide a loss estimate. The Paris prosecutor’s office said it had opened an investigation into a large-scale cyberattack affecting refrigeration at several food retailers. The inquiry will examine reported food losses and fires, the office said. The sources do not identify who carried out the attack. Reports described refrigeration units being forced into defrost mode, with some allegedly reaching 50°C for around six hours.