Attackers hijack refrigeration controllers and spoil food at hundreds of European supermarkets

Attackers remotely took control of refrigeration controllers on Sunday night and set refrigerators and freezers in supermarkets across Europe to defrost. The resulting spoiled food caused significant financial losses. BleepingComputer reports that the attackers took over controllers running older versions of Danfoss control software and used the built-in automatic defrost function to raise temperatures. SecurityWeek and The Hacker News report temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius. French outlets put the number of affected stores at 250 to 350. Chains named in the reports include Intermarché, Coopérative U, Carrefour Market, Monoprix, E.Leclerc and Super U. SecurityWeek, citing Reuters, also names Auchan and says retailers in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Spain were hit as well, although most of the damage was in France. An Intermarché spokesperson said the attack reportedly affected a service provider that manages refrigeration systems in its stores, and that staff removed products from the affected display units. Coopérative U chief Dominique Schelcher confirmed that several stores were affected and said an investigation would be needed. The incident shows how internet-connected building controls can cause physical and financial damage across many retailers at once.