Attackers Remotely Heat French Supermarket Fridges; Retailers Disconnect Systems

· Cybersecurity · France · Netherlands

Attackers took remote control of fridges and freezers at hundreds of French supermarkets on the night of October 11 and warmed them, forcing stores to throw food away, several retail chains said. The attackers reached the equipment through the controller that runs all of a store's fridges and freezers, a device made by Danish manufacturer Danfoss. In a separate but related wave of retail disruption, grocery giant Ahold Delhaize said it took some systems offline to contain a security issue within its network, and TFG London reported a cyberattack that impacted IT systems used by its Phase Eight, Hobbs and Whistles fashion brands. Together the incidents show how operational technology and retail IT are increasingly targeted for physical and commercial disruption, not just data theft.

Why it matters：Connected operational technology in retail and food supply can be manipulated to destroy inventory and disrupt services, widening the impact of cyberattacks beyond data loss into physical operations.

Key points

  • Hundreds of French supermarkets had fridges and freezers remotely warmed on the night of October 11.
  • Attackers reached the equipment through a Danfoss controller running all store refrigeration.
  • Ahold Delhaize disconnected systems to contain an issue; TFG London brands were also hit.

Sources (original reporting)

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