Health & Safety
France · Direct U.S. connection
Cyberattack Spoils Food in Hundreds of French Supermarkets
An extensive cyberattack on October 11-12, 2026, targeting older Danfoss refrigeration systems caused significant food spoilage and millions in losses across French grocery chains.
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THE PRIMARY BRIEF
- 01 · The primary finding
A cyberattack between October 11-12, 2026, exploited vulnerabilities in older Danfoss refrigeration control systems, causing widespread food spoilage in hundreds of French supermarkets and tens of millions of euros in losses.
- 02 · The primary evidence
French authorities, including ANSSI and the Paris prosecutor's office, confirmed the incident, and Danfoss acknowledged its legacy equipment was targeted. Security researchers at Claroty's Team82 had reported specific vulnerabilities in Danfoss AK-SM 800A series controllers in August 2026.
- 03 · Why it matters
This incident highlights significant cybersecurity risks in internet-connected industrial control systems within critical infrastructure, impacting food security and consumer safety, and prompting calls for enhanced OT cybersecurity measures globally.
A cyberattack targeting older Danfoss refrigeration control systems between October 11 and 12, 2026, resulted in widespread food spoilage across hundreds of French supermarkets, leading to estimated losses of tens of millions of euros. This incident highlights critical vulnerabilities in operational technology connected to the internet, posing a direct threat to food supply chains and consumer safety.
What the records show
Several major supermarket chains were affected. Les Mousquetaires (Intermarché) reported approximately 150 affected stores, Coopérative U nearly 100, Carrefour around 80, and Monoprix about 5% of its 490 French stores, with some E.Leclerc stores also impacted. Thierry Cotillard, CEO of Les Mousquetaires, estimated national losses of "tens of millions of euros nationwide in a single day".
The timeline
The attack itself unfolded overnight between October 11 and October 12, 2026. By October 12, France's CERT-FR, a component of ANSSI, issued an alert about numerous compromises affecting Danfoss AK-SM and AK-SC controllers. The Paris prosecutor's office opened an investigation on October 12. By October 13, Danfoss advised keeping firmware updated for AK-SM 800A controllers and suggested migrating legacy systems.
What changed and for whom
What the subject has said publicly
What we could not confirm
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