The attack targeted legacy units no longer receiving security updates, heating them to 50°C for roughly six hours and causing food spoilage and several equipment fires. Affected sites include over 300 Intermarché and Netto stores, 100 Coopérative U outlets, 80 Carrefour supermarkets, and 30 Monoprix branches. While Claroty found 2,765 of these systems online globally, about 1,590 are located in France. Paris prosecutors and the national cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, have launched investigations as the government warns that other European Union members may be vulnerable.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
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Hackers Use Current Date as Password to Heat French Supermarket Fridges
Cybersecurity8 days ago
Remote operators compromised the temperature controls of numerous food retailers on Sunday, triggering a series of equipment failures that forced the disposal of millions of euros in inventory. The attackers used the username 'admin' and the current calendar date as a password to access Danfoss refrigeration controllers exposed to the public internet, according to security researchers. In addition to the password flaw, attackers could bypass authentication entirely by sending a POST request to the /xml.cgi endpoint of the affected devices.
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