French supermarkets are facing a food crisis after a cyber attack on their refrigeration systems. Following this attack, many of these centers were forced to discard perishable food items. The French government, led by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, is closely monitoring the situation and has tasked the national cybersecurity agency with investigating the incident.
Details of the Cyber Attack
According to reports, the attack on the refrigeration systems of several major supermarket chains has impacted hundreds of stores. Two well-known supermarket chains, Intermarché and Système U, announced that they were affected by this attack. Intermarché emphasized that the impacted stores must discard frozen and fresh food items.
Impact on Food Supply Chains
The CEO of Système U, Dominique Schelcher, confirmed on social media platform X that this cyber attack has harmed the "cooling production facilities" in several of their stores since last night. This crisis could have serious implications for the food supply chain and customer access to fresh products.
The European Union's Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, condemned this attack and referred to the large French supermarket chain, Leclerc, which has yet to publicly confirm the impacts of this attack.
Cybersecurity Investigations
News reports in France have stated that the attack targeted refrigeration systems produced by the Danish company Danfoss. Prime Minister Lecornu's office announced that the French cybersecurity agency (ANSSI) identified a flaw in the software provided by "a Danish company" and has contacted this company. This agency is also collaborating with its European counterparts to prevent further impacts of this attack on other countries.
Currently, Danfoss has not responded to media requests for comment. The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) has also not responded immediately to similar requests. In this situation, the French government is focusing heavily on preventing similar attacks in the future and is taking necessary measures.
