What seemed like a technical failure ended up being a digital nightmare. A coordinated cyberattack affected more than 700 supermarkets in France, hitting the heart of the supply chain directly: the cooling systems. The attack was not just a software problem, but had immediate and devastating physical consequences.
The impact was felt across several of the country's emblematic chains, including Intermarché, Netto, Coopérative U, and Monoprix. In many cases, the speed of the technicians' response prevented disaster, but in others, as happened in northern France, the loss of fresh and frozen products was total.
Economic and operational impact
The severity of the event was described as "unprecedented" and "extremely serious" by Dominique Schelcher, head of Cooperativa U, who denounced that this attack represents a direct aggression against the food supply of French citizens.
| Type of Establishment | Estimated Economic Damage |
|---|---|
| Hypermarkets | Up to 220,000 USD |
| Small supermarkets | Tens of thousands of USD |
How was the intrusion possible?
The refrigeration company Danfoss clarified that the attack affected a limited number of management systems. The weak point was outdated systems, those that no longer receive security patches or software updates, leaving the door open for hackers.
Currently, the situation is under exhaustive analysis:
- Judicial Investigation: The Paris prosecutor's office is seeking to identify all victims and link the attack with the reported fires and food waste.
- Technical Analysis: Expert Ségolène Le Stradic, from the medium The Times, is investigating the details of the incident.
- Authorship: So far, the attack is of unknown origin and no cybercriminal group has claimed responsibility for the action.
Source: The Times