A sophisticated cyberattack managed to breach the remote control of cold storage rooms in hundreds of shopping centers in France and other parts of Europe. The incident, which exposed critical update failures in refrigeration systems, has raised alarms regarding the fragility of current logistical infrastructure.

European food security suffered an unexpected blow. A coordinated computer attack managed to take remote control of the cold storage rooms in approximately 700 shopping centers, mainly affecting France and extending to other countries on the continent.

The weak point was the manipulation of thermal management systems. The attackers compromised the technology of two giants in the sector, exposing a systemic vulnerability in the cold chain.

Compromised systems: It was confirmed that the attack affected the controls of the companies Danfoss (Denmark) and Dixell (United States).

The response from the retail sector was forceful. The president of the supermarket group Leclerc pointed out that the security breach was possible because the managers of the cold storage rooms had not updated the systems, allowing hackers to exploit known flaws.

Cybersecurity experts see this event as a sign of greater danger:

    Axel Dreyfus (Operations Director of École 2600) described the attack as an "appetizer," warning that it reveals the extreme vulnerability of remotely controlled systems. Stéphane Linou warned that these types of incidents can deeply erode society's trust in basic services.

Technical analysis suggests a dangerous disparity in digital security investment. While sectors such as banking or nuclear plants possess robust shielding, refrigerated transport and logistics have fallen behind.

Sector Security Level Detected Risk
Banking / Nuclear High Low / Controlled
Supermarkets Medium/Low Lack of updates
Transport Low High remote vulnerability

The outsourcing of security for connected equipment by large retailers is now the center of criticism, as delegating technical protection without constant audits has left the door open to crises of larger dimensions.

Source: IMAGO