Coopérative U confirms a cyber-attack on refrigeration at several of its supermarkets
Coopérative U CEO Dominique Schelcher confirmed on October 12 that a cyber-attack hit refrigeration at several of its stores from October 11. The Danfoss link, the loss figures and the other chains named come from press reports, and Danfoss was asked for comment.
The Watch · Security desk
Key figures: BFMTV assessed 150 Intermarché stores as affected; two Haguenau stores, an Intermarché and a Super U, recorded €270,000 of lost merchandise; defrost temperatures were programmed to reach as high as 50 °C (122°F); five retail brands are named across the reports.
| Figure | Value | Note | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intermarché stores affected, BFMTV assessed | 150 stores | 12 | |
| Merchandise lost, two Haguenau stores | 270,000 euros | an Intermarché and a Super U, per BFMTV | 11 |
| Defrost temperature programmed, up to | 50 °C | 122°F; reported by BFMTV | 3 |
| Brands named in reports | 5 brands | 10 |
What happened
- BFMTV reported that the compromised systems are administered by Danish supplier Danfoss and that the attackers targeted outdated versions of its refrigeration control software.
- Attackers reportedly triggered forced defrost cycles remotely at numerous supermarkets, with temperatures programmed to reach as high as 50 °C (122°F).
- BFMTV reported that two stores in Haguenau, an Intermarché and a Super U, had already recorded €270,000 of lost merchandise.
- Jonathan Le Borgne of the retail news site Je bosse en grande distribution reported that E. Leclerc, Carrefour and Monoprix are also among the affected networks.
Why it matters
- Who's exposed exposure If BFMTV is right, a shared control-software layer put the cold chains of several retailers into one incident. Five brands are named across the reports.
- What's now possible capability Per Claroty's Team82 demonstration, an attacker who controls an AK-SM 800A can disable cooling while falsifying temperatures. Where that happens, the controller's own log cannot be the record of what the stock went through.
- Who has to decide decision Operators of Danfoss refrigeration controllers face a firmware and reachability check. The report ties the risk to outdated firmware and to controllers exposed to the public internet.
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In the post as quoted, Schelcher did not mention Danfoss. He said: "Our teams are fully mobilized, in coordination with refrigeration specialists, to restore the situation as quickly as possible. An investigation will be needed to shed full light on this attack." [8]
The Danfoss link is BFMTV's, relayed by Infosecurity Magazine, which said it had contacted Coopérative U, E. Leclerc, Intermarché and Danfoss for comment and called the story developing. [9]
Danfoss has a vulnerability history. Infosecurity Magazine lists CVE-2023-25915, CVE-2025-41450, CVE-2025-41451 and CVE-2025-41452 as past critical flaws in its products, some of which could let attackers gain privileged access to refrigeration control systems and manipulate physical equipment. [5] Separately, at DEF CON 34 in August 2026, Claroty's Team82 demonstrated that an attacker in control of an AK-SM 800A controller could switch off cooling and report false temperatures, so that cold-chain failures might go unseen. [6] The report links none of these CVEs, or that model, to this incident, and it does not identify the attackers or their route in.
Haguenau is a sample of two stores. [11] BFMTV assessed 150 Intermarché stores as affected [12], and with Le Borgne's list the reports name five retail brands. [10] Scaling the Haguenau loss to 150 stores would be a guess.
On this record it is one incident. In our view the supplier claim is the first thing to test, because the software version and the defrost setting both come from the same BFMTV account. [2] [3]
What to watch
- Danfoss's answer to the request for comment, and whether it confirms its software or a named product was involved.
- Whether Coopérative U's investigation or any retailer names an entry route, a CVE or an attacker.
- A loss figure beyond the two Haguenau stores, and confirmation from E. Leclerc, Carrefour and Monoprix that they were hit.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence76
- Adoption
- Not scored
- Hype gap+12
- Incentives50
- Confidence78
Perspective Coverage
53 publishers- Builder
- Builder 32%
- Operator
- Operator 43%
- Investor
- Investor 25%
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
In a post on X published on October 12, Dominique Schelcher, CEO of Coopérative U, confirmed that the cyber-attack affected several stores in the network from October 11.
- [2]
BFMTV reported that the compromised systems are administered by Danish refrigeration systems provider Danfoss, and that the attackers targeted outdated versions of the manufacturer's refrigeration control software.
- [3]
Hackers reportedly managed to remotely trigger forced defrost cycles in refrigeration systems at numerous supermarkets, with temperatures programmed to reach as high as 50 °C (122°F).
- [4]
Other reportedly affected supermarket networks include E. Leclerc, Carrefour and Monoprix, according to Jonathan Le Borgne, author of the specialized retail news website Je bosse en grande distribution.
- [5]
Danfoss products have been found to contain critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the past, such as CVE-2023-25915, CVE-2025-41450, CVE-2025-41451 and CVE-2025-41452, some of which could allow attackers to gain privileged access to refrigeration control systems and manipulate physical equipment.
- [6]
Research presented by Claroty's Team82 at DEF CON 34 in August 2026 demonstrated how a compromised AK-SM 800A controller could disable cooling while falsifying temperature readings, potentially concealing failures in the cold chain.
- [7]
Infosecurity Magazine says the findings highlight the real-world risks of exposing industrial refrigeration systems to the public internet without adequate security controls, authentication, and firmware updates.
- [8]
"Our teams are fully mobilized, in coordination with refrigeration specialists, to restore the situation as quickly as possible. An investigation will be needed to shed full light on this attack," Schelcher said.
- [9]
Infosecurity Magazine called this a developing story and said Coopérative U, E. Leclerc, Intermarché and Danfoss had been contacted with a request for comments.
- [10]
Five retail brands are named across the reports: Coopérative U, Intermarché, E. Leclerc, Carrefour and Monoprix.
- [11]
Two supermarkets alone, an Intermarché and a Super U in Haguenau, in the Alsace region, had already recorded losses of €270,000 worth of merchandise as a result of the incident.
- [12]
BFMTV assessed that 150 Intermarché stores, part of Groupe Mousquetaire, are affected.
Sources
38 independent publishers whose own reporting we read for this story.
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Topics and entities
Topics
- IoT and Embedded Device Security
- Critical infrastructure cyberattacks
- Food supply chain security
- Industrial Control System Security