Remote defrost attack spoils stock at French supermarket chains
Original title: When defrost becomes sabotage: 3 OT lessons from France’s supermarket attack
Les Mousquetaires expects losses in the tens of millions of euros, and no ransom demand has surfaced.
On the night of 11 October, someone remotely put cold cases at Intermarché and Netto stores into defrost, warming them to around 50°C for about six hours. Coopérative U counted 80 affected stores of roughly 2,000 and said most held the cold chain. A second wave on the night of 12 to 13 October also reached stores with Dixell controllers. Nobody has claimed responsibility. CERT-FR and Danfoss have not said whether entry used exposed interfaces, known flaws or stolen contractor credentials.
Unconfirmed: Responsibility is unclaimed, the intrusion method is unconfirmed, and alarm suppression’s role is not established.
- Intermarché said affected stores had to throw away all refrigerated stock.
- E.Leclerc said the attack arrived through a refrigeration equipment supplier.
- Danfoss recorded 2022 attacks on AK-SM 800 at 16 Russian and 40 Israeli stores.
- The AK-SM 800 has been end-of-life since May 2021 and was still online in France.
- Brokers told Reuters cyber policies typically exclude this physical loss.
Impact: Spoiled refrigerated food via forced defrost
| Product | Affected |
|---|---|
| Danfoss AK-SM 800 | end-of-life since May 2021 |
| Dixell refrigeration controllers | — |
- 1.Identify every remote path into refrigeration controllers and revoke any path the contract does not name.
- 2.Review defrost schedules and alarm on unexpected setpoint changes outside maintenance windows.
- 3.Check insurance terms before cutting the contractor’s internet data feed.
From the original article
7 min read at csoonline.com
On the night of 11 October, someone remotely put the cold cases of several hundred French supermarkets into defrost. At Intermarché and Netto stores, fridges and freezers warmed to around 50°C and stayed there for about six hours, according to Les Mousquetaires, which expects losses in the tens of millions of euros. By morning, staff were filling skips with meat, frozen goods and vegetables.
csoonline.com
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