From Decrypt · By Jose Antonio Lanz
In brief
About 700 of France's 10,000 supermarkets were hit in October, and nine more countries reported fridge problems on Monday.
France's CERT-FR ties the compromises to Danfoss and Copeland remote controllers, and no group has claimed responsibility.
Italy's government was set to hold a cybersecurity meeting Tuesday as CERT-FR warns the campaigns are probably still ongoing.
Europe's freezers have gone rogue, with supermarkets in nine more countries reporting refrigeration systems that heated up overnight on Monday.
Stores in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden reported problems, and Estonian units were pushed to 50°C (122 °F).
No group has claimed responsibility, so the only ones taking the heat are the freezers.
The outbreak has a patient zero in France, where Finance Minister Roland Lescure told Parliament on Oct. 13 that about 700 of the country's 10,000 supermarkets were affected.
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Bad Bunny53%YesNoDonald Trump52%YesNoAlysa Liu52%YesNoLindsay Clancy40%YesNoErling Haaland12%YesNo+13 more outcomes+12 more outcomes$94.16K volumeCloses: Dec 31, 2026, 23:59 UTCCloses: Dec 31, 2026, 23:59 UTCAccording to France's CERT-FR, hackers forced a continuous defrost cycle, which spoiled food and sparked fires at some stores. CERT-FR said it was aware of numerous compromises of remote control modules made by Danfoss and Copeland.
Groupement Mousquetaires, which owns Intermarché and Netto, counted 300 stores affected, while Cooperative U said 80 of its 2,000 shops were hit. Lescure said food supplies were not at risk but acknowledged the attack "touches the heart of our food security." Some Mousquetaires display cases were still out of service that Tuesday.
Monday's wave hit several chains in Belgium, where Carrefour reported disruption at about 15 of its 700 stores. Sabcobel, a Belgian refrigeration contractor, said evaporators had been switched into defrost mode, and federal prosecutors opened an investigation. Four Delhaize outlets in Luxembourg also reported problems.
Italy's Radenza Group, which runs Coop-branded stores in Sicily, said the attack began at 4 a.m local time. and targeted the remote-control system for frozen food sections. Ireland's Musgrave counted 13 SuperValu stores affected, and Mosqueteiros confirmed incidents at seven Intermarché stores in Portugal.
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