France is reeling from a sophisticated cyberattack that targeted the cooling systems of several major supermarket chains, forcing stores to dump massive quantities of perishable goods. In what officials are calling an unprecedented assault on the national food supply, hackers gained access to connected refrigerators and intentionally raised temperatures, rendering meat, dairy, and frozen foods unsafe for consumption. Major brands including Carrefour, Monoprix, E. Leclerc, and Coopérative U reported significant disruptions across hundreds of locations.

The scale of the damage was particularly severe at Les Mousquetaires, where representatives stated that refrigeration units in about 150 stores were spiked to a staggering 50 degrees Celsius for six hours. This sudden surge in heat meant that almost all sensitive inventory had to be discarded immediately. While final figures are still being calculated, industry experts estimate losses exceeding 10 million euros, though some executives believe the total nationwide hit could reach tens of millions of euros in a single day.

Investigators have traced the breach back to vulnerabilities in control systems manufactured by Danish firm Danfoss. According to reports, many of the compromised units were legacy products running outdated firmware that no longer received critical security updates despite warnings from the manufacturer. This technical gap provided an open door for attackers to manipulate hardware remotely, turning essential preservatives into ovens.

The incident has sparked outrage among European leaders who view the move as a dangerous escalation in digital warfare. EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen warned that the weaponization of food is now a reality, prompting calls for tighter security standards across the continent’s logistics networks. Meanwhile, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has tasked the National Cybersecurity Agency with conducting a full forensic investigation into how such a widespread failure occurred simultaneously across different retail giants.