On the morning of October 12, 2026, shoppers arriving at several French supermarket chains found the aisles unusually warm. The chill that normally keeps dairy, meat and produce fresh had been replaced by a wave of heat that rose as the doors opened.
The disruption came not from a power outage but from a cyber intrusion into the Danfoss refrigeration regulation systems that control the cold chains. Attackers hijacked the built‑in defrosting function, forcing it to run continuously and drive the temperature inside the units up to 50 degrees Celsius.
With the refrigeration stuck at that high setting, the stored goods began to thaw rapidly. The temperature rise created severe heat waves when stores opened, putting perishable items at risk of spoilage.
In the Alsace region, two stores together reported 270,000 euros in damages.
Later that day, Dominique Schelcher, president of Coopérative U, took to social media to confirm the incident. He described the cyberattack as being of "extreme gravity" and called it "unacceptable," urging swift action to restore normal operations.
In the Alsace region, two stores together reported 270,000 euros in damages. Meanwhile, roughly 150 Intermarché outlets were identified as affected by the same intrusion, indicating a wide geographic spread.
Initial assessments pointed to losses in the hundreds of thousands of euros for specific regions, and officials warned that the national impact could climb into the millions of euros if the disruption persisted.
Under ordinary circumstances, the defrosting routine in these systems runs for about two hours each day to prevent ice buildup. The attackers turned this routine maintenance into a weapon by extending it indefinitely.
Schelcher added that his teams were fully mobilized, working with refrigeration specialists to bring the situation back under control. He said an inquiry would be needed to establish the full scope of the attack and prevent future incidents.