Danfoss Supermarket Fridge Controller Cyberattack in Europe

Cyberattacks hit hundreds of supermarkets across France on a Sunday night, disabling store equipment and spoiling inventory ¹. A spokesperson for Groupement Mousquetaires told Bloomberg that about 150 Intermarché locations were compromised ¹. By 15 October, the estimated number of affected supermarkets in France had risen to 700 ². Locations in Spain, Portugal, Poland, Germany and Belgium were also affected ². Unidentified attackers had hijacked internet-connected refrigeration systems ². French authorities confirmed that the hackers compromised remote administration controllers and activated defrosting mechanisms ².

On 17 October, The Register reported that a still-unidentified attacker or group had hacked thousands of remote-controlled refrigeration systems across hundreds of French grocery stores late on a Sunday ³. The report placed the incident in a wider shift from data theft to attacks on physical building systems ³. It said physical disruption can be more severe than encrypted files and puts extra pressure on executives to pay extortion demands ³.