Hundreds of Supermarkets Hit by Sudden Refrigeration Failure in Major Cyberattack

Hundreds of supermarkets in France were disrupted after being targeted in a cyberattack described by the Paris Prosecutor’s Office as large-scale. The hack caused refrigerated cabinets and freezers in stores to suddenly heat up, reaching temperatures of 50°C.

“A large-scale attack has affected connected refrigeration systems at several major food retailers across France,” the Paris Prosecutor’s Office said, according to Reuters on Tuesday (13 October 2026).

One of the victims was Carrefour, which said 80 of its supermarkets were affected. Monoprix reported that around 5% of its 490 stores in France were also hit by the hack.

Les Mousquetaires, the owner of retailer Intermarché, confirmed that refrigeration units in 150 of its stores suddenly rose to 50°C. The incident lasted for up to six hours and forced managers to discard all the food stored inside them.

There is so far no definitive estimate of the total losses caused by the attack. However, Intermarché chief executive Thierry Cotillard estimated that the potential losses for retailers in France could reach tens of millions of euros in just one day.

The effects of the cyberattack were not confined to France. A senior cyber threat intelligence analyst at Sekoia Threat Detection and Research said signs of similar hacking impacts had also been detected in Spain, Portugal, Poland, Germany and Belgium.

An intensive investigation is under way following the incident. A source said French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu had instructed the National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) to lead the investigation.

Cross-border coordination with European security partners has also begun, given the attack’s impact across several neighbouring countries.