Nowadays, it is hardly surprising to see the introduction of appliances—such as refrigerators—that feature internet connectivity and app-based controls. However, such conveniences can introduce new security vulnerabilities, a reality recently faced by a supermarket chain in France.
The French supermarket chain Intermarché was recently targeted by hackers who reportedly gained access to the company's internal network. This breach allegedly allowed the hackers to access the refrigeration systems across 150 Intermarché locations throughout France.
Access to these cloud-connected refrigeration systems enabled the hackers to raise the temperature of the supermarket refrigerators; the temperature of the stored food rose to as high as 50 degrees Celsius overnight, causing it to spoil. Furthermore, there were reports of fires breaking out at some supermarket locations as a result of this issue.
A Reuters report indicates that the incident was not limited to the Intermarché chain. Felix Aime, a cyber threat intelligence analyst at Sekoia Threat Detection and Research, stated that Spain, Portugal, Poland, Germany, and Belgium were also affected.
Carrefour reported that 80 of its supermarkets were affected, while Monoprix—which operates approximately 490 branches in France—disclosed that 5 percent of its locations also experienced hacking-related issues. It has also been confirmed that the supermarket refrigerators were supplied by the Dutch electronics company Danfoss and were still running on outdated firmware that had not been updated by the supermarket owners for a long time.
Les Mousquetaires, the parent company behind the Intermarché supermarket chain in France, stated that it is still investigating the incident and is working to restore its stores so they can resume operations as soon as possible.
