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18h ago

Cyberattacks Target Refrigeration Controllers, Forcing Heating Cycles and Spoiling Supplies

Coordinated EU and U.S. advisories say exposed, unpatched controllers let attackers change temperatures remotely and urge immediate disconnection and hardening.

A woman walks past empty fresh-food refrigerators at an Intermarché supermarket in Névez, western France, on October 12, 2026, following a cyberattack affecting the French supermarket chains Intermarché and Cooperative U that caused their refrigerators to defrost. Some 150 to 200 Intermarché stores were targeted in the attack on October 12, 2026, along with nearly 100 Coopérative U outlets, the retailers said. BFM TV reported that rival giant E. Leclerc was also affected, with hackers "managing to remotely trigger the forced defrosting of refrigeration systems in numerous stores." (Photo by Fred TANNEAU / AFP via Getty Images)
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Stock: Getty Images

Overview

  • The campaign began in mid‑October in France and expanded in a new wave on November 1–2 that hit supermarkets across several European countries and triggered temperature anomalies at three French blood‑bank sites.
  • Five U.S. agencies — CISA, the FBI, HHS, USDA and DOT — issued a joint advisory on November 5 warning that attackers can force continuous heating or defrost cycles and called for immediate mitigations.
  • Investigators say intrusions exploited internet‑accessible, unpatched or end‑of‑life controllers (notably Danfoss and Copeland/Dixell models) often left with weak or default credentials or outdated firmware.
  • Operators and vendors have reacted by isolating or removing controllers from the public web, and internet scans show a marked drop in exposed devices after guidance and takedown actions.
  • Authorities warn the hacks pose real public‑health and supply‑chain risks, underline the need for basic OT hygiene and lifecycle management, and intersect with EU rules such as NIS2 and the Cyber Resilience Act that increase reporting and product‑security duties.