Hackers heat French supermarket fridges, sparking fires and spoiling food

A frozen food section is closed at a supermarket near Nantes, France, on Monday after a cyberattack targeted refrigeration systems at grocery chains in the country. | REUTERS

Reuters

Oct 13, 2026

Paris – Hackers raised the temperature of refrigerators and freezers at hundreds of French supermarkets to as high as 50 degrees Celsius overnight, causing fires and spoiling food.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said on Monday that a “large-scale” attack was “affecting connected refrigerators in several major food retailers across France,“ leading to food losses and fires.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has instructed France’s National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) to investigate, a person in his office said.

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